Chapter 674: Running On Empty!

Villa went into the dressing room with a 1–0 lead, while Wigan were left to consider a half in which they had spent far too much time reacting to their opponents.

Trailing by a goal, the second half couldn’t come sooner for the home side.

The scoreboard kept reminding them of the situation they were in and eventually, the second half began.

And it did so with Villa showing no signs of easing off.

They continued to move the ball quickly, forcing Wigan to defend deep and stretch across the pitch.

The home side tried to push forward whenever an opportunity presented itself, but Villa’s counterpressing made it difficult to keep possession for long.

Then, from a corner, the visitors appeared to have doubled their advantage.

The delivery was cleared towards the edge of the penalty area, where Matty Cash had space to step onto the loose ball.

The defender took one touch before striking through it, and the fans could only watch as his shot flew through the crowd of players.

Ben Amos, with his few impeded, barely had time to react.

The ball struck the back of the net, and the Villa players immediately turned towards the corner to celebrate to the dismay of the home fans.

But the celebrations were short-lived.

The referee had already received word from his officials.

After a brief discussion, he indicated that the corner had been awarded incorrectly and should have been a goal kick instead.

Cash’s effort was chalked off, and the Villa’s players protested, but there was little they could do.

The decision stood, and the restart was awarded to Wigan.

Dawson exhaled near the touchline.

It was a reprieve, but it did not change the nature of the game.

His side were still struggling to match Villa’s energy, and there was only so much longer they could withstand that kind of pressure.

Leo seemed to understand it as well, and so when he came on from the bench, he began covering more ground, dropping towards his own defenders to collect the ball before pushing forward whenever space opened up.

When Villa tried to play through the centre, he moved across to close the passing lane.

When they shifted towards the flanks, he followed, helping Wigan avoid being pulled apart.

He was everywhere, and there were moments when he looked uncomfortable getting back to his feet after a challenge.

On one occasion, he bent forward with his hands on his knees before forcing himself upright again.

But he kept going.

The demands of the game were beginning to show, yet Leo continued to work.

He knew Wigan needed more than a few isolated moments of quality.

They needed someone to disrupt Villa’s rhythm and give the team a chance to breathe.

Eventually, his persistence produced the opening they had been waiting for.

It began in the centre of the pitch where once more, Tielemans received the ball with his back partially turned towards Wigan’s goal.

He looked to shift it onto his preferred foot, but Leo had already closed the distance.

He reached in with his foot and knocked the ball away.

Tielemans turned and tried to recover, but Leo’s challenge had sent it rolling into open space where Reyes was the first to react.

He collected the loose ball and turned towards goal.

Villa’s midfield scrambled to recover, but Reyes had already taken his first touch forward.

He drove between the nearest two players, using his body to shield the ball as another defender stepped across.

And despite all the obstruction, the midfielder kept moving.

He slipped past the challenge and entered the final third, with the Villa back line retreating towards the penalty area.

For the first time in the match, Wigan had managed to turn a defensive moment into a dangerous attack without allowing their opponents to reorganise.

"Reyes has got away!"

The commentator’s voice rose as the midfielder approached the box.

Martinez came off his line, lowering his body and spreading his arms to make himself difficult to beat, but Reyes did not hesitate.

He opened his body and guided the ball towards the far corner.

Martinez stretched, but the shot passed beyond his reach.

The ball rolled into the net and the scoreboard, as if anticipating the goal, immediately changed to reflect it.

Wigan 1–1 Aston Villa.

The DW erupted as Reyes turned away with both arms spread, shouting as his teammates rushed towards him.

Leo was among the first to reach him, grabbing him around the shoulders before the others piled in.

"That’s it!" Leo shouted. "That’s what we needed!"

Reyes laughed, still catching his breath.

"About time!"

The celebrations continued for a few seconds before Dawson called his players back towards the halfway line.

There was still time to win the match, but the manager knew his side were running on limited reserves.

The equaliser had come through determination and a moment of quality.

He could not expect his players to maintain that level of intensity indefinitely, and so he began making changes.

Willian was brought on to provide fresh legs and experience.

Fletcher followed, giving Wigan another option further forward, while Callum Lang was introduced to add energy to the attack.

Tilt also came on as Dawson adjusted his defensive options, and the changes helped Wigan see out the remaining minutes, although Villa continued to look dangerous.

Eventually, neither side found a winner.

When the referee finally blew for full-time, the scoreboard showed a 1–1 draw.

Wigan had rescued a point, but there was little sense of satisfaction among the home players.

They acknowledged the supporters, exchanged handshakes with their opponents and began making their way towards the tunnel as the broadcast returned to the commentators.

"Well, Aston Villa will probably feel they had enough in that first hour to take all three points. They started exceptionally well, and Wigan struggled to match their intensity."

"Absolutely. Villa looked the sharper side for long periods. They moved the ball with real purpose, and Watkins’ penalty gave them the advantage they deserved for that opening spell."

"But Wigan showed some character in the second half. They were struggling physically; there was no hiding that, but Leo Calderon helped them find a way back into the game. He won the ball that eventually led to Reyes’ equaliser, and that was a huge moment."

"It’s an important point, but there will be some disappointment in the Wigan dressing room. They had the opportunity to make more of that second-half momentum."

The main commentator glanced down at his notes, then went on.

"And the implications for the title race are becoming increasingly interesting. Wigan’s lead over Liverpool was nine points before their defeat at Anfield. T

hat loss brought it down to six. Now, with Liverpool picking up a winner against Nottingham Forest, the gap has been cut again."

His partner nodded.

"Four points. That’s the difference now. Four points at the top of the Premier League, and Liverpool are starting to put some real pressure on them."

The broadcast camera moved away from the pitch and found Dawson standing near the touchline.

He was no longer speaking to his players.

His hands rested on his hips, and his gaze remained fixed on the field.

The expression on his face was difficult to read, but there was no mistaking the weight of the result.

The game had cost them a whole lot of freedom.

Four points.

It was still a lead, but it was no longer a comfortable one.

And with Liverpool finding their rhythm at precisely the wrong time, Dawson knew the pressure was only going to increase.