Chapter 630: Head Above! [Bonus - ]

For the Sheffield United match, the Wigan manager brought Reyes back into the starting eleven after two games on the bench while Leo moved deeper, partnering Henderson in a double pivot for the first time.

It was another adjustment, and one that placed more responsibility on Leo to help progress the ball from midfield rather than operate solely between the opposition’s lines.

Deprived of minutes across two games, Reyes looked like a starved predator.

From the opening minutes, he attacked the spaces around Sheffield United’s midfield with sharp, direct runs.

He pressed their defenders when they tried to play out, chased loose balls and repeatedly looked to get behind the back line.

Reyes, who was especially known for his poor defensive contributions, was sliding into challenges for the fun of it and winning them too.

Throughout it all, Sheffield United struggled to track him, especially when Wigan moved the ball quickly enough to prevent them from setting their shape and eventually, the first opening arrived early.

When Wigan restarted a foul quickly, Reyes burst into the area to meet a pass from the right, but his effort was blocked before he could get a clean strike away.

Luckily, he did not have to wait long for another chance.

Wigan recovered possession and moved the ball forward, pulling Sheffield United’s midfield towards one side before switching the attack.

Reyes, meeting the eyes of Femi Seriki, dashed right behind the Sheffield lines as the wing-back went through with his pinpoint pass, taking Reyes position, and without controlling the ball, Reyes leaned to his left and sent his right foot through the ball as he fell to his feet.

"GOAL WIGAN! For the third time in a game, these men look unstoppable!"

The goal settled the home side and gave Reyes the reward his start had promised, but he was not finished.

Before Sheffield United could regain their footing, Reyes was involved again, this time turning provider.

He carried the ball forward and found Leo arriving in support, allowing the midfielder to attack the space in front of him.

Leo took the pass and finished, sending the ball into the net for his fifteenth Premier League goal of the season, a feat that was looking more and more ridiculous.

It was another example of how well the team could function with Leo in a different role.

He was not spending the entire match high up the pitch, but his movement from deeper positions still allowed him to arrive in dangerous areas.

The Wigan midfield alone had controlled the game and provided the two goals that had resulted in their lead, and with Wigan in control, Dawson began making changes.

Will Keane came on as the game entered its later stages, giving the side fresh legs up front.

Willian too followed in the eighty-fifth minute, replacing Ezra on the right.

Sheffield United had already spent much of the match trying to limit the damage, and the fresh attackers gave them another pair of runners to worry about.

And just as expected, the third goal arrived soon afterwards.

After taking the ball from Tiehi, Keane found space in the attacking third and played the ball across to Willian, who had made a timely run into the area.

The Brazilian, instead of shooting first time, showed some of that natural flair and lay one of the Sheffield United players to waste before smashing the ball into the back of the net to make it a third for Wigan on the night.

The home fans broke out again, delirium spreading across the stadium while the away side showed a more grim mood, realising how thoroughly they’d been done.

The match restarted, and it looked like Wigan might go on and have their 2nd game in 3 games scoring 4 goals, but fortunately for the Sheffield team, the referee’sfinal whistle confirmed a third consecutive league victory since the transfer window closed.

Wigan had taken all nine points available, scored nine goals and conceded none.

......

With the match now over, the Premier League post-match studio had the full-time scores from Wigan’s latest victory displayed across the screens behind the panel.

The presenter sat with his hands clasped on the desk, looking at the numbers while his two guests seemed just as reluctant to break the silence.

Eventually, he let out a short laugh.

"Honestly, what does Wigan do to a man?"

One of the pundits shook his head.

"I’ve got nothing."

The presenter turned to the other guest.

"Anything to add?"

"What more is left to say?" the second pundit replied, leaning back in his chair.

The presenter nodded, unable to disagree.

Wigan had won three consecutive league games, scored nine goals and conceded none.

Their latest victory had only added to the growing sense that the teams chasing them were running out of time to close the gap.

"Well, that result brings Matchday 24 to a close," he continued, turning towards the main screen.

"And if you want to understand just how significant this run has been, take a look at the table."

The standings appeared behind him.

With their incredible string of performances, Wigan Athletic sat comfortably in first place with 63 points.

Behind them, Manchester City had climbed above Liverpool into second with 55, while Liverpool remained close behind on 54.

Eight points separated Wigan from City.

Nine separated them from Liverpool.

"Eight points clear at the top," the presenter said.

"And with both City and Liverpool having their own battles to worry about, Wigan have given themselves a little breathing room.

And that is very good for them because their next two fixtures are very vital to their plans if they want to keep this gap up."

As he spoke, the screen changed to Wigan’s upcoming schedule.

Wigan VS Manchester United. [DW Stadium!]

Wigan Vs Liverpool. [Anfield]

"First, they face Manchester United, and then they meet Liverpool. Two enormous games, with the potential to change the picture at the top of the table."

After that, he paused as the FA Cup fixture appeared beneath them.

"And after that, there’s Manchester City in the FA Cup. So, three major tests in quick succession. Wigan have been making it look easy lately, but we’ll soon find out how they handle this stretch of the season."