Here, Daily Soccer Blog looks at 50 of those transfers – the bizarre, the boring and the breathtaking and looks at how their arrivals will affect the clubs who bought them.

Counting down…

50. Julian Gray

Teams Involved – Coventry City to Fulham
Fee – Undisclosed

Former Arsenal trainee Gray can operate as a left winger or as a makeshift left back, but has not seen any first team action this season while on loan at Fulham. Gray was instrumental during Crystal Palace’s promotion during the 2003/04 season and even found time to have a loan spell at Cardiff City that season. After making 125 appearances for the Eagles, he joined Birmingham City on a free transfer in June 2004, making 60 appearances, before moving to Coventry City in July 2007.

Transfer Rating – 4/10. Despite not playing a single game for Fulham while on loan, Roy Hodgson saw fit to sign Gray on a permanent deal. Perhaps he was desperate for some deadline-day buzz, or perhaps he feels Gray can add something to the squad. Either way, it’s hardly an exciting move amid a frenzied day of transfer action.

49. Ariza Makukula

Teams Involved – Benfica to Bolton Wanderers
Fee – Loan

Ariza Makukula has certainly done the rounds and Bolton are the tenth club he has represented during his career which began at Portuguese outfit Vitoria Guimaraes a decade ago. The Congolese-born Portugal international enjoyed the most prolific spells of his career at UD Salamanca in 2001/02, where he scored 21 goals and on loan at Maritimo from Sevilla in 2007/08, netting 10 goals in just 13 appearances. Aside from that, goals have been hard to come by for a striker deemed good enough to represent Portugal and who scored on his debut in a 2-1 win against Kazakhstan on 17 October 2007.

Transfer Rating – 4/10. Makukula could provide a stop-gap for Bolton who are not known for their prolific scoring abilities but it’s unlikely he is going to set the Premiership goal scoring charts alight. He’s started three matches for the Trotters so far and has been substituted in each one of them, scoring no goals in the process. He’s on loan until the end of the season with a view to a permanent £4.5 million move – Bolton fans must be ecstatic at the prospect.

48. Peter Lovenkrands

Teams Involved – Schalke 04 to Newcastle United
Fee – Free

Out of the frying pan is a term which could describe Peter Lovenkrands’ transfer to Newcastle United. After playing just nine minutes of first team football this season for Schalke 04 in the Bundesliga and not starting a match for them since February 2008, he was released and joined the Magpies until the end of the season. Lovenkrands is best known for his six year spell at Rangers, where he scored 54 goals in 182 appearances and was instrumental in the Gers reaching the last 16 of the Champions League during the 2005-06 campaign.

Transfer Rating – 4/10. At 28-years-of-age, Lovenkrands should be at his peak, but after two years in Germany ravaged by injury and poor form, it looks as though his better days are behind him. Newcastle are a club in turmoil, with uncertainty and in-fighting the order of the day. Lovenkrands was probably seen as a cheap option to try and score some much-needed goals but the problem is, he hasn’t scored in two seasons.

47. Marlon King

Teams Involved – Wigan Athletic to Middlesbrough
Fee – Loan

Marlon King joined his second club on loan of the season when he cut short his spell at Hull City to join struggling Middlesbrough. King scored five goals in 20 Premiership appearances for the Tigers, with his last goal coming on 6 December in a 2-1 victory, ironically against Middlesbrough. King only joined Wigan Athletic a year ago for around £3 million from Watford, but it is unlikely he has a future at the JJB Stadium.

Transfer Rating – 4/10. Middlesbrough are in real danger of relegation this season and Gareth Southgate appears to be pinning their survival hopes on King, a nomadic striker who rarely scores goals – this season’s Marcus Bent, if you like. King is known for his recent problems, including a speeding ban and arrest for alleged assault, so perhaps a change of scenery will do him good. If not, Middlesbrough could be in a lot of trouble come the end of the season.

46. Youssouf Mulumbu

Teams Involved – Paris St. Germain to West Bromwich Albion
Fee – Loan

Youssouf Mulumbu is a Zaire-born Congo DR international who joined the Hawthorns outfit on loan for the rest of the season from Paris St Germain. The midfielder made 13 appearances for Paris St. Germain since making his debut in 2006 and also made 23 appearances, scoring one goal on loan at Amiens during the 2007/08 campaign. Baggies manager Tony Mowbray sees Mulumbu as one for the future and doesn’t expect the eight-times capped player to make an instant impact in the first team.

Transfer Rating – 5/10. Mulumbu’s arrival gives boss Mowbray further options in midfield he doesn’t see him as immediate first team material. He’s the sort of signing you get the feeling won’t really make a massive impact at a struggling club like the Baggies. If he’s up for the fight, he could prove vital during the latter stages of the season but if not, he’s just another player to send packing at the end of May.

45. Pele

Teams Involved – FC Porto to Portsmouth
Fee – Loan

No… not that one! Instead, “Pele” is a relative unknown who has played only a handful of games for three clubs during the past three years. After failing to make an impact at Vitoria Guimaraes, a modest club in Portugal’s top division, he signed for Serie A giants Inter Milan in the summer of 2007. He broke into the first team, mainly due to an horrific midfield injury crisis but was shipped out to Porto a year later as a makeweight in the deal which took Ricardo Quaresma to the San Siro. Pele has hardly had a sniff of first team football this season and joined Portsmouth on loan to try and resurrect his faltering career.

Transfer Rating – 5/10. You have to be either very good, or very confident in your own ability to get away with a moniker like “Pele”, but so far Vitor Hugo Gomes Passos hasn’t really done anything to prove he is worthy of the name. He is still young, at 21-years-old, so he deserves the benefit of the doubt and it will be interesting to see if makes any sort of impact in the Premiership after being largely frozen out at Porto.

44. Gael Givet

Teams Involved – Marseille to Blackburn Rovers
Fee – Loan

Blackburn manager Sam Allardyce may have pulled off a coup in clinching the signing of Marseille defender Gael Givet. During his time at Monaco, Givet played in the 2004 Champions League final for Monaco, a team he made 178 league appearances for in seven years. Givet joined Marseille ahead of the 2007/08 campaign and featured regularly but fell out with manager Erik Gerets before the start of this season and has not played at all. He has won 13 international caps for France and can play at left back or central defence.

Transfer Rating – 5/10. Givet is a vastly experienced defender who has played at the highest club level. However, there may be issues with his temperament, hence his loan move to Blackburn and since he has not played much football this season, it could take a while for him to regain full match fitness.

43. Manucho

Teams Involved – Manchester United to Hull City
Fee – Loan

Not much is known about Manucho, the Angolan striker who signed for Manchester United during last year’s transfer window. The 25-year-old was swiftly sent out on loan to Panathinaikos while awaiting a UK work permit and he scored four goals in seven appearances for the Greek club. After making just one first team appearance for United this season, as a substitute against Middlesbrough in the Carling Cup, he joined Hull on loan until the end of the 2008/09 campaign.

Transfer Rating – 5/10. Manucho’s transfer to Hull is difficult to assess because there’s not really much to go on. However, Phil Brown worked wonders with an on loan Manchester United striker last season, Frazier Campbell, who fired in 15 goals as the Tigers won promotion from the Championship. If Manucho can have the same sort of impact, there will be no danger of Hull being dragged into the relegation mire after making such a great start to the season.

42. Juan Carlos Menseguez

Teams Involved – San Lorenzo to West Bromwich Albion
Fee – Loan

Attacking midfielder was weaned on football from an early age and joined River Plate when he was just five years old. He never made a senior appearance for the Argentine giants because he was sold to Bundesliga outfit VfL Bochum in 2003. He made 110 appearances for Bochum, scoring five goals and then returned to his homeland in 2007 when he signed for 10-times league winners San Lorenzo. Menseguez made 34 appearances, scoring six goals for the club before joining the Baggies on loan with a view to a permanent move in January.

Transfer Rating – 5/10. Aside from one or two notable exceptions, such as Carlos Tevez and Julio Arca, Argentinian players are a bit hit-or-miss in the Premiership. Perhaps Mowbray thinks he may have unearthed another Mauro Zarate, who rose to prominence last season with Birmingham City, though he could just as easily be another Esteban Fuertes.

41. Marc-Antoine Fortune

Teams Involved – Nancy to West Bromwich Albion
Fee – Loan

With the Baggies propping up the rest of the league, Marc-Antoine Fortune arrived at the Hawthorns on loan until the end of the season, with manager Tony Mowbray also having the option to make his move permanent. Fortune made his debut during West Brom’s 3-0 victory against Middlesbrough, in which he received a standing ovation when finally replaced by Craig Beattie. He may have scored a debut goal, as he deflected in an effort from Robert Koren but thusfar the goal has been credited to the Slovenian international.

Transfer Rating – 5/10. Fortune has not exactly been prolific during his career and has mustered around one goal every four to five matches. This is not the sort of ratio a struggling team at the foot of the table can rely on to avoid relegation and while Fortune may be a decent enough player, he is unlikely to pull up any trees in the Premiership.

40. Savio Nsereko

Teams Involved – Brescia to West Ham United
Fee – Undisclosed (believed to be around £10 million)

Relative unknown Savio Nsereko is a Ugandan-born German Under-19 international who has spent the last three-and-a-half years plying his trade in Italy with Serie B club Brescia. He is a direct replacement for Craig Bellamy, who left for Manchester City, but his fee is believed to be higher than the club record £7.5 million paid to Liverpool for Bellamy in 2007. Nsereko, who came on as a substitute in West Ham’s 2-0 win over Hull, was also rumoured to be attracting interest from Juventus and Roma.

Transfer Rating – 5/10. One of the strangest transfers of the season until you discover who was involved in the deal. The Sporting Director of West Ham is Gianluca Nani, who just happens to be the son-in-law of Brescia club president Luigi Corioni. In the words of one tabloid journalist: “Savio Nsereko had better be good”.

39. Jo

Teams Involved – Manchester City to Everton
Fee – Loan

Manchester City’s club record transfer, at an eye-watering £19 million, Jo, has been farmed out on loan to Everton for the remainder of the season. One tabloid columnist described him as the only Brazilian unable to trap a bag of cement and he has made just 13 senior appearances for City since joining from CSKA Moscow last summer. In Russia, he was a revelation, scoring 44 goals in 77 appearances but has not found the net in England since scoring in City’s 6-0 drubbing of Portsmouth last September.

Transfer Rating – 5/10. Jo has been one of the most expensive flops in Premiership history and will attempt to resurrect his tattered career at Everton. With the likes of Louis Saha and James Vaughan injured, Toffees fans will be used to strikers who don’t score any goals. Only time will tell if he is the right man to fill the void left by the injured Yakubu, which has forced midfielder Tim Cahill to play up front in recent weeks.

38. Pascal Chimbonda

Teams Involved – Sunderland to Tottenham Hotspur
Fee – Undisclosed (believed to be around £3 million)

Defender Pascal Chimbonda was one of three former Tottenham Hotspur players, sold by manager Juande Ramos, who returned to the club during the January transfer window. He only joined Sunderland last summer but failed to settle in the North East and has a second chance at Spurs where he spent two seasons previously. Arguably, Chimbonda played his best Premiership football at Wigan Athletic during the 2005/06 season. He was named in the PFA Team of the Year, where he was voted best right back in the league ahead of Gary Neville, Paul Ferreira and Steve Finnan. He has one cap for France and also represented Guadeloupe in 2003.

Transfer Rating – 5/10. Chimbonda seems to have lost his way since he burst into the Premiership with Wigan three-and-a-half years ago. However, Harry Redknapp was keen to bring the player back to White Hart Lane and it is up to Chimbonda to repay the faith shown in him.

37. El-Hadji Diouf

Teams Involved – Sunderland to Blackburn Rovers
Fee – Undisclosed (believed to be around £2 million)

Blackburn Rovers manager Sam Allardyce linked up with striker Diouf for the second time when he brought him to Ewood Park from Sunderland. The pair worked together previously at Bolton Wanderers where Diouf spent three seasons, scoring 12 goals in 87 league appearances. He also spent a spell on loan at Bolton during the 2004/05 season, where he scored nine goals in 27 appearances. Diouf rose to prominence during the 2002 World Cup and scored the winning goal for Senegal against France. His performances persuaded Liverpool to part with £10 million to sign him from Lens but lthis season he failed to score in 14 appearances for Sunderland.

Transfer Rating – 5/10. Rovers find themselves in the relegation mire and all new arrivals at the club need to be positive. Allardyce knows exactly what he is getting with Diouf and if he can encourage the player to repeat the performances of his Bolton days then he will be an excellent addition to the Rovers quad.

36. Tal Ben Haim

Teams Involved – Manchester City to Sunderland
Fee – Loan

Tal Ben Haim’s career has stuttered over the past two seasons. He arrived in English football in 2004 with Bolton Wanderers and went on to make 88 Premiership appearances for the Trotters over three seasons. His impressive displays in defence did not go unnoticed and he joined Chelsea on a free transfer in the summer of 2007. However, he was largely frozen out under manager Avram Grant and was shipped out to Manchester City for around £5 million last summer. Despite making his debut against EB/Streymur in City’s UEFA Cup qualifying campaign at the end of July he made only nine Premiership appearances and his search for regular, first team football has now seen him move to Sunderland in January.

Transfer Rating – 6/10. The defender has not played much football in the last two seasons during unsuccessful spells at Chelsea and Manchester City. However, he has a lot of Premiership experience from his time at Bolton Wanderers and links up again with Ricky Sbragia, who was first-team coach during Ben Haim’s stint at the Reebok Stadium. He will know what is required of him playing in a team which is striving to avoid relegation and will add needed depth to the Black Cats’ squad.

35. Calum Davenport

Teams Involved – West Ham United to Sunderland
Fee – Loan

Since making 83 appearances for Coventry City and winning the Young Player of the Year accolade at the end of the 2002/03 season, Davenport has move from club to club in an attempt to prove he can cut it in the Premiership. He left the Sky Blues for Tottenham Hotspur in August 2004, but after two-and-a-half frustrating years at White Hart Lane, he joined West Ham United, where he previously spent time on loan. However, after making just 14 appearances in two years at Upton Park and also being farmed out to Watford during this time, he joined Sunderland on loan until the end of the season.

Transfer Rating – 6/10. Davenport is still hunting for a Premiership team where he can command a regular, first-team place and Sunderland will be his seventh English club. After failing to impress Gianfranco Zola this season, he will give Ricky Sbragia further defensive options as the Black Cats batten down the hatches between now and the end of the campaign.

34. Nadir Belhadj

Teams Involved – Lens to Portsmouth
Fee – £4.4 million

After playing at Fratton Park on loan since August, Algerian international Nadir Belhadj joined Portsmouth on a permanent deal from Lens.He sparkled during Pompey’s run in the UEFA Cup against Vitoria and more notably AC Milan, where he was awarded Man of the Match. His long range goal against Sunderland also gave new manager Tony Adams his first victory in charge of the club.

Transfer Rating – 6/10. Belhadj is a quality player who can operate at both left wing and left back, although there are question marks over his temperament. He was sent off after picking up two yellow cards in Pompey’s 1-0 defeat against Aston Villa, but was fortunate not to receive a straight red for a hacking Craig Gardner to the ground. During times of crisis, you need your best players to keep a cool head and Tony Adams will have to ensure there isn’t a repeat performance.

33. Matthew Etherington

Teams Involved – West Ham United to Stoke City
Fee – £2 million

Manager Tony Pulis has been active during the transfer window as he attempts to haul his side out of the relegation zone and the arrival of left winger Matthew Etherington from cash-strapped West Ham could prove to be a good piece of business. Etherington made almost 200 appearances for West Ham during a five-and-a-half year spell at Upton Park and won “Hammer of the Year” in his debut season at the club. It was his cross which lead to the winning goal in the 2004/05 Play Off final, in which the Hammers beat Preston North End to return to the Premiership.

Transfer Rating – 6/10. Etherington seems to fit the bill at the Britannia Stadium and is reknowned for his crossing ability. A team known for its physical play, Etherington will be expected to sling balls into the box at every opportunity as the Potters battle for their lives in the top flight for the remainder of the season.

32. Henri Camara

Teams Involved – Wigan Athletic to Stoke City
Fee – Loan

Journeyman striker Camara makes Stoke City his sixth British club after moving to the Britannia Stadium on loan until the end of the season. When given a chance, Camara usually performs well, as 20 goals in 69 appearances for Wigan testifies, but he has found himself largely out of favour at the JJB Stadium. He had a productive loan spell at Celtic during the 2004/05 season, where he scored eight goals in 18 appearances but was used sparingly when on loan at West Ham last season. He is out of contract at the end of this campaign and will look to earn a permanent move to the Potters.

Transfer Rating – 6/10. It was a little surprising to see Camara join struggling Stoke, having made a decent contribution to Wigan’s season with six goals, including the winner against Everton last November. He should fit in well to Stoke’s style of play and his pace and directness makes him an ideal replacement for the injured Ricardo Fuller.

31. Radoslav Kovac

Teams Involved – Spartak Moscow to West Ham United
Fee – Loan

Czech international midfielder has spent the last three-and-ahalf seasons at Spartak Moscow, making 80 league appearances for the Russian side which limped to an eighth placed finish this season. Having also spent time at Sparta Prague and Sigma Olomouc in his homeland,  the versatile Kovac is ready to take on the challenge of playing in England. The Hammers fended off interest from Celtic for the 29-year-old, who has won 25 caps for his country and who played in the 2006 World Cup and Euro 2008.

Transfer Rating – 6/10. Following the departures of Hayden Mullins and Julian Faubert, the Hammers needed some competition in midfield and Kovac brings a wealth of experience. A defensive-minded player, Kovac will help to solidify the Hammers midfield as they look to maintain their position in the top 10.

30. Kamil Zayatte

Teams Involved – Young Boys to Hull City
Fee – £2.5 million

Defender Zayatte has been on a season-long loan at Hull City since August 2008 after having trial spells with both Everton and Newcastle United last summer. The Guinea international has featured heavily this season and manager Phil Brown has opted to make his move to the KC Stadium permanent in a deal worth £2.5 million. He scored his first goal for the club during a 3-0 victory against West Bromwich Albion during Hull’s strong start to the Premiership campaign.

Transfer Rating – 6/10. Zayatte has proven to be a solid performer for Hull during their first season in the Premiership and formed a good partnership with fellow centre back Michael Turner. His permanent arrival equals the amount paid for Anthony Gardner, ironically the player Zayatte is keeping out of the team.

29. Charles N’Zogbia

Teams Involved – Newcastle United to Wigan Athletic
Fee – Undisclosed (believed to be around £6.5 million)

French midfielder Charles N’Zogbia is probably the most relieved player of the transfer window, after engineering a move away from Newcastle, a club he couldn’t wait to see the back of. Fed up with the club’s ambitions and angered by manager Joe Kinnear’s mispronounciation of his name as insomnia, N’Zogbia stated he would never play for the Magpies again under the current management. After making 118 appearances for the Newcastle since 2004, in which he scored nine goals, N’Zogbia joined improving Wigan Athletic on deadline day.

Transfer Rating – 6/10. N’Zogbia finally managed to get the move away from Newcastle United he wanted but whether he will be satisfied at a club like Wigan, after he was previously linked with Arsenal, Aston Villa and Lyon, remains to be seen. N’Zogbia needs to get his dead down and stop complaining and if he does, then Wigan manager Steve Bruce will have a decent player to call upon.

28. Olivier Dacourt

Teams Involved – Inter Milan to Fulham
Fee – Loan

Roy Hodgson moved quickly to replace Jimmy Bullard by signing veteran defensive midfielder Oliver Dacourt on loan until the end of the season. Dacourt was an important player during Leeds United’s time as genuine Premiership challengers and then spent three years at Roma. He then signed a two-year deal at Inter Milan, where he was originally going to be used as a backup player. However, a severe injury to Patrick Vieria saw Dacourt become a key player in Inter’s winning of Serie A in the 2006/07 season but missed half of the following season with a torn cruciate ligament. Jose Mourinho didn’t see Dacourt as part of his plans this season so he returned to the Premiership, where he also spent time at Everton 10 years ago.

Transfer Rating – 6/10. Dacourt is coming to the end of his career but has the opportunity of one last crack at the Premiership wioth Fulham. He is vastly experienced and played some of the best football of his career during the successful Leeds United years before moving to Italy. With the influnential Bullard gone to pastures new, “The General” could prove an important player during the remainder of Fulham’s season.

27. Kevin Nolan

Teams Involved – Bolton Wanderers to Newcastle United
Fee – £4 million

Kevin Nolan brought a 12-year stay at Bolton to an end in January, where he scored 50 goals in 345 first team appearances, to join Newcastle United on a four-and-a-half year contract. The midfielder had featured in each of Bolton’s 23 league matches this season, scoring one goal. Alongside Nicky Butt, he will add some authority to the Magpies midfield, which has lost Joey Barton to a long-term injury. He made an instant impact at his new club, clearing a goalbound effort off the line during Newcastle’s 1-1 draw with rivals Sunderland on 1 February.

Transfer Rating – 6/10. A few seasons ago, Nolan was one of the most promising midfielders in the country. His tenacity and goal scoring ability alerted the attention of Liverpool, but a big-money move never transpired. He now joins a troubled club in Newcastle and will have to perform to the best of his abilities to avoid playing in the Championship with his new club next season.

26. Ben Watson

Teams Involved – Crystal Palace to Wigan Athletic
Fee – Undisclosed (believed to be around £2 million)

Former England Under-21 internation Ben Watson has been linked with several clubs over the past few months and looked set to join Middlesbrough in January. However, Wigan matched Boro’s offer and secured the midfielder’s services for the next three-and-a-half years. Watson totted up almost 200 appearances for Crystal Palace, including 21 in the Premiership in the 2004/05 season when the Eagles were relegated on the last day of the season.

Transfer Rating – 7/10. Full credit must be given to Wigan manager Steve Bruce who has moved quickly in the transfer market to replace his departed stars with quality players on a budget. Watson was named Crystal Palace’s Young Player of the Year in 2007 and he is bound to prove a worthy addition to the Latics squad.

WANT TO FIND OUT WHO IS THE TOP JANUARY TRANSFER? CLICK HERE TO COUNTDOWN TRANSFERS 25 TO 1!

Match Preview

Wigan will be looking to avenge an embarassing 4-0 thrashing at home to Villa earlier this season. However, the Birmingham club is on a roll this season and should even be a stronger side now that Emile Heskey has settled in by scoring on his club debut last week. Ironically, this match will feature the England striker making his home debut with Villa playing the club he just left. Norwegian Striker John Carew will also strenghten Villa as he’s recovered fom three months on the shelf with a back injury. However, Marlon Harewood is out with a foor injury and Ashley young is suspended. Captain Martin Laursen is also injured as is Nigel Reo Coker.

Wigan’s keeper Chris Kirkland could be back after missing the midweek draw with Liverpool with a back injury, but winger Antonio Valencia is still on the sidelines with a hamstring injury and newcomer Ben Watson is doubtful. Titus Bramble returns from suspension though.

Villa has won four and drew one in their last five games and are unbeaten in the last 11 league games. Wigan has won two, lost two and drew one in their last five, but are winless in the last three.

Line Ups

Aston Villa: Friedel, Cuellar, Knight, Davies, Luke young, Gardner, Petrov, Barry, Milner, Heskey, Agbonlahor

Subs: Guzan, Sidwell, Carew, Delfouneso, Salifou, Shorey, Osbourne

Wigan: Kirkland, Melchiot, Bramble, Boyce, Figueroa, De Ridder, Cattermole, Scharner, Brown, Koumas, Mido,

Subs: Pollitt, Edman, Watson, Rodallega, Cywka, Kapo, Camara

Live Blog

90+4′ The whistle blows and brings a hectic second half to an end and the final result is 0-0.

90+3′ Melchiot works it into the box and crosses for Watson, but Zat Knight is there to clear to safety.

90+1′ Three minutes are added and it’s a free kick for Wigan from 30 yards. Rodallega hammers it into the wall and then thumps the rebound wide.

90′ Davies finds Agbonlahor in the box and it results in panic for Wigan until it’s eventually cleared by Brown.

87′ Wigan finally get some possession in Villa’s end and it results in a free kick from just inside the left corner of the pitch. The kick goes over Mido’s head though.

85′ Free kick from 25 yards for Villa as Bramble takes Carew down and Brown is shown a yellow for dissent. Milner thumps the ball off of the wall though on the free kick.

83′ Kirkland comes out bravely from a backheader by Carew, but it’s called offside.

81′ Luke Young finds Agbonlahor inside the box and his left footer is hammered, but deflected over the bar from 12 yards.

78′ Things have calmed down for a few minutes now.

76′ Substitution for Wigan as Ben Watson comes on for Paul Scharner.

75′ It’s a rare free kick from inside the box, from about 10 yards out. It’s pushed wide to Carew who’s shot is saved and another goalmouth scramble ensues and Kirkland makes a brilliant diving by punching the ball out. It was a pinball sequence with the ball being cleared from the line twice.

74′ A corner from Wigan on the right side is headed away easily. Barry breaks down the right wing and his cross is pushed back to Kirkland from Brown and it’s called as a back pass.

73′ Carew takes a left footer from just inside the box that Kirkland goes down to make a fine save on.

72′ A free kick from Milner 10 yards out of the box ends up in front of the net and somehow the ball stays out in a mad scramble.

70′ Luke Young crosses from the left wing into the box for Agbonlahor who chests it down, turns and shoots high from 12 yards out.

69′ Bramble goes on the attack and hammers the ball over the net from 20 yards.

67′ A quarter of the game to go and Villa are starting to press a little more.

66′ Barry feeds Carew in the box, but his bicycle kick is mis timed.

65′ Another free kick, this time from 35 yards and it’s played out to Milner on the wing, but Wigan are able to clear it downfield.

64′ Free kick for Barry from 30 yards out and Heskey heads it harmlessly back to Wigan.

62′ Substitution for Villa as Craig Gardner departs for striker John Carew. Martin O’Neill is looking to keep the attack up now with added firepower up front.

60′ Curtis Davies of Villa gets the first yellow card as he crunches Michael Brown in a tackle.

59′ Gardner gets a free header, but it’s right into the arms of Kirkland. Wigan counter attack and Mido drives a shot that’s easily caught by Friedel.

58′ That was quite a bit of pressure there for a few minutes and Villa should have taken the lead. It may come back to haunt them in the end.

57′ Gardner breaks into the box and his shot deflects out for a corner which is cleared by Wigan for a second corner. This time Wigan finally get it clear to relieve the pressure.

55′ Figueroa takes down Gardner for a free kick about 10 yards outside of the box. Barry picks out Zat Knight in the box and Knight’s header rebounds off the post.

53′ There’s a lot more pace and spirit to this half already and it looks like both teams know all three  points are there for the taking.

51′ Agbonlahor breaks down the left side but his weak shot is aimed straight at Kirkland.

50′ Milner crosses from the left wing and Figueroa makes a mess of it with calls for handball from the fans. Again no penalty though, and rightly so.

48′ Gardner controls the ball in the box and there’s a question if he’s clipped by Jason Koumas, but no penalty is called.

46′ The second half starts with Wigan bringing on striker Hugo Rodallega for midfielder Daniel De Ridder.

Half Time. It has been a little disappointing so far with not much in the way of goalmouth action. There were some good saves though on the few shots that made it to the net, especially Friedel’s just before half time. You get the feeling that one goal could win this match and at the moment it looks like it’s up for grabs with possession being 50-50 in the first half. James Milner and Gareth Barry had good halves for Villa, while Titus Bramble had a decent showing for Wigan.

45+1′ What a save by Friedel! Figueroa is all alone in the box and Michael Brown picks him out for a free header, but the Villa keeper makes an acrobat save to keep it scoreless as the half time whistle goes.

45′ A corner for Wigan is headed out by Heskey.

42′ Nice ball from Barry to Luke Young just outside the box, but he can’t beat the defender.

39′ Barry crosses from the left wing and it’s a free header for Heskey, but he get’s no power on it and Kirkland has an easy time catching it.

38′ Villa are playing quite a few long balls today with about a 50% success rate so far.

36′ Scharner brings down Agbonlahor about 30 yards out. The free kick’s headed away by Scharner though.

33′ Barry brings down De Ridder just outside of the front right corner of the box. The free kick is headed away right to Cattermole, who proceeds to blast it over the net from 30 yards out.

32′ Milner skips away from Brown down the left wing, but can’t get any further.

31′ Heskey plays a fine ball through to Barry, but Barry isn’t ready for it.

28′ Another shot for Wigan and Friedel’s forced into a fine save this time as Melchiot sends De Ridder through and his right footer is met by a the rushing keeper.

27′ Paul Scharner finally takes a shot on net for Wigan but it’s well wide.

26′ Agbonlahor heads it down toward the post from a corner and it’s almost over the line, but a foul is called on Villa.

24′ Milner crosses from the left and Cattermole clears. Milner gets the ball back and crosses again and Agbonlahor gets his header on target and forces Kirkland into a fine save.

23′ It looks like Capello’s starting to doze off in his seat, can’t really say I blame him.

22′ Well a quarter of the game’s gone and I don’t think Villa keeper Friedel has had to touch the ball yet.

20′ Heskey rises for a header on the end of a long free kick from Villa’s own half, but it’s high in the air and Kirkland has no problem catching it.

19′ Milner whips it into the box only to have Titus Bramble intercept.

17′ Villa are taking their time and passing the ball around nicely, but it’s all in the middle of the park at the moment.

15′ Hand ball by Scharner and the free kick from the halfway line comes to nothing.

13′ Wigan are on the back foot and haven’t really controlled the ball in Villa’s half yet.

11′ Bramble kicks it out for a Villa corner which Barry delivers straight into the arms of keeper Kirkland.

8′ Barry streaks down the left side for Villa and unleashes a shot just outside of the box that is deflected wide, but is wrongly given as a goal kick.

7′ Figueroa takes down Gardner and he’s lucky to escape a yellow card. The free kick is whipped in from the right side, but the ball passes everybody and goes out of play.

5′ Corner for Villa from the left side, but Curtis Davies can’t keep his header down and it’s over the net.

5′ Boyce looks like he’s going to have his handsfull with Agbonlahor today.

4′ Agbonlahor crosses from the left wing past Heskey for  Gardner but he blasts it high and wide

3′ Villa are wearing black armbands in memoery of two former players.

1′ We’re underway with play in the midlle third of the park for the moment.

0′ Ryan Taylor is out for Wigan as it’s rumoured he could be swapped to Newcastle for Charles N’ Zogbia. I hope I pronounced that right.

o’ England manager Fabio Capello is in the stands, but he’s blown off course if he’s looking for Beckham.

0′ I don’t see Zaki in the lineup for Wigan and that’s gotta hurt. I also don’t understand why newcomer Hugo Rodallega isn’t starting up front with Mido. It’s a little bit on the negative side to me from Wigan.

0′ Rob Styles will be the referee today and Villa’s American keeper will be playing in his 176th consecutive premier game.

Reaction

Martin O’Neill’s Aston Villa blew the opportunity to draw level with Man Utd, for a few hours at least. However, it wasn’t for a lack of trying. Well, in the second half anyway. Villa had numerous chances to bury Wigan in the last 45 minutes, but somehow the ball miraculously never found the back of the net. I would credit luck for this and not Wigan’s defending. If Villa are going to seriously make a push for the title they will have to make sure they get all three points in games like these. It’s basically two points lost not one gained for Villa at this juncture of the season.

Man of the Match

James Milner had a good first half for Villa as did Gareth Barry. However, Milner’s performance tailed off in the last 45 minutes while Barry continued to shine. Figueroa ended up playing a solid game for Wigan and made a couple of important clearances from the goal line while helping out goalkeeper Chris Kirkland. Titus Bramble also played well. But for Man of the Match, I’d definitely go with Gareth Barry for his consistent display and his fine passing today. He picked men out in the box numerous times with some excellent balls.

Match Preview

Wigan will have a new face in the lineup tonight as Mido has been signed on loan from Midllesbrough, while Hugo Rodallega could make it to the bench if he has all of his paperwork in place after transfering from Mexican side Necaxa. However, Ben Watson, who came over from Crystal Palace has a calf injury and won’t play. Winger Antonio Valencia and keeper Chris Kirkland are also doubtful.

For Liverpool, all eyes of course will be focused on Robbie Keane and if he will play or even dress. Liverpool fans didn’t have to travel far as JJB Stadium in Wigan is only 21 miles away from Liverpool.

Wigan have won three of their last five league games, and they have been the last three in a row. Liverpool is unbeaten in the last five with three draws and two wins.

Phil Dowd will be the referee tonight.

Line Ups

Wigan: Pollitt, Melchiot, Boyce, Scharner, Figueroa, De Ridder, Brown, Cattermole, Taylor, Zaki, Mido

Subs: Kingson, Edman, Watson, Koumas, Rodallega, Kapo, Camara

Liverpool: Reina, Arbeloa, Skrtel, Carragher, Aurelio, Benayoun, Lucas, Mascherano, Babel, Gerrard, Torres

Subs: Cavalieri, Dossena, Agger, Keane, Riera, Kuyt, Alonso

Goals

Wigan: Mido (pen 83′)

Liverpool: Benayoun (41′)

Live Blog

90+3′ It’s Wigan’s turn now for a free kick from about 30 yards out, but Jason Koumas can only find the head of a Liverpool player who heads it out of danger. The whistle blows and you can put this one in the books. Full time and it’s Wigan 1-1 Liverpool.

90+2′  A free kick for Liverpool now about 35 yards out and Aurelio wastes it by driving it into a defender.

89′ There’s three minutes of extra time coming and Wigan now have a free kick about 10 yeards outside of the box in the middle. Rodallega sends a screamer in and it smashes against Reina’s crossbar and bounces away.

88′ Kuyt drives a close range shot right at Pollitt, however the Liverpool player handled the ball while taking it down.

86′ Liverpool still have time to blow this game and at the moment it looks like a possibility as Wigan have found new life after their equalizer.

84′ Substitution for Liverpool. Yes, this time it’s Robbie Keane coming on the pitch, but for some strange reason Benitez is taking off the team’s skipper and sparkplug Steven Gerrard.

83′ GOAL Wigan 1-1 Liverpool Lucas pulls down Jason Koumas in the box for a penalty kick and Mido tucks it away for a goal on his debut. 

81′ Kuyt plays a great through ball in the air for Gerrard, but he can’t quite pull it down with Boyce defending well.

79′ Another substitution for Wigan as Ryan Taylor is off and Henri Camara is making his way on the pitch. A positive move by manager Steve Bruce, but why wait so long to make it?

77′ Substitution for Wigan. Amr Zaki comes off and newcomer, Colombian striker Hugo Rodallega comes on.

76′ A long ball is played towards the Liverpool goal and keeper Reina comes out of the box to meet it and dribbles upfield 15 yards with it.

75′ Another substitution for Liverpool as Yossi Benayoun makes way for Dirk Kuyt.

73′ Gerrard finds himself alone in the box, but hammers a right footed shot wide of the far post.

72′ Substitution for Liverpool and it’s not Robbie Keane. Fernando Torres is coming off and Albert Riera is now on. Another odd move for Benitez as a Wigan goal is still possible.

70′ A corner for Wigan, their second, is whipped in by Taylor, but headed out by Zaki for a goal kick.

68′ The game is being played in the middle third of the park at the moment and the fans have quietened down.

65′ Benayoun dribbles brilliantly past two players in the box, but his shot is blocked by Pollitt.

63′ Substitution for Wimbledon. Jason Koumas comes on for Daniel De Ridder.

62′ Melchiot crosses from the right wing only to have Carragher head it out of danger.

60′ Mascherano crosses from the right corner and Pollitt is forced to tip it over the bar for Liverpool’s second corner, which is easily cleared.

58′ The next goal here if there is one, is going to be huge. There’s about 30 minutes left and I wonder if we’re going to see any subs come on soon for either side.

57′ Wigan look a little more energetic, however they still aren’t able to get control in the box.

56′ Benayoun makes a great run and feeds to Torres, who passes back to Benayoun, but he wasn’t expecting it.

56′ Brown puts in a cross for Wigan from the left wing and it sails out of play.

54′ Figueroa makes a nice run down the left flank but loses control.

51′ Figueroa is shown a yellow card for taking down Benayoun. The free kick is about 10 yards out of the box, excellent spot for Gerrard. However, Aurelio takes the shot and it’s right into the arms of Pollitt.

49′ Liverpool are caught offside again, for the sixth time. This time Torres.

48′ Torres breaks into the box on the left side, but is tackled by Boyce.

46′ Liverpool kick off and the second half is underway. Wigan haven’t come from behind in the second half to win a game in five years now and if they don’t pick up the pace that streak is going to continue tonight.

Half Time. A message for Gina. The match is being broadcast live in America, however I don’t think it’s on the telly in the UK.

It’s not vintage Liverpool, but they’re doing enough to be ahead at halftime. I guess fans are getting used to this type of performance this season though. While they definitely aren’t playing like world beaters, they seem to get a result when the final whistle blows. Well, that’s if you call a draw a result. To me, it means you’ve dropped two points. Wigan can’t move up from seventh place even with a win today and they look pretty complacent out there.  They’ve only had 33% of the ball and that’s not enough if you don’t do anything with it. Defensively, they’re not too bad and have caught Liverpool offside five times in the first half. No cards so far and that’s a good thing as cards mean more writing.

45+1′ One minute of time is added on and Lucas is brought down by Figueroa. Gerrard hammers the free kick from at least 30 yards out and just misses the top corner by inches. The whistle blows and it’s still Wigan 0-1 Liverpool. 

45′ A free kick from the edge of the box is hammered along the ground by Mido, but the ball hits his own man and ricochets out.

41′ GOAL – Wigan o-Liverpool 1. Mascherano finds Benayoun alone on the right side. He skips around Pollitt and slides it into the net with his right foot from a very tight angle for his second goal of the season.

40′ A free kick from Taylor on the left wing is whipped into the box and cleared among calls for handball by the fans.

39′ A strong right-footed shot by Babel from the left wing just outside of the box is punched away by keeper Pollitt. I think it’s the first save he’s had to make, which is one more than Reina I believe.

37′ Taylor’s free kick is sent into the box and Gerrard flattens Scharner and calls for a penalty are ignored. anywhere else on the pitch though and it would have been a foul. 

36′ Torres is in the box and heads a cross from the left flank and it’s well wide.

33′ Mido works it for a corner kick while Babel is down injured after a tackle from Scarner. The corner finds De Ridder outside of the box and his half volley is sent into the box for three team mates, but it’s called offside.

32′ Lucas tries a right footed grasscutter from just inside the box and he’s still looking for his first goal in a red uniform, in this his 32nd match.

31′ De Ridder and Mido finally get some control in the Liverpool end, but Skrtel breaks it up.

28′ Benayoun puts in a fine cross from the right wing, but Gerrard can’t handle the pass, while Torres was also in perfect position.

27′ Zaki is found alone outside of the box, but he’s called offside immediately.

27′ Zaki handles the ball in Liverpool’s corner, but it’s not called.

26′ Skrtel takes Mido down in midfield and the free kick is lobbed into the box, but Reina takes control of the ball.

24′ A long throw from Melchiot to Zaki in the box is cleared by Gerrard.

21′ Torres sends Gerrard down the right wing the cross is blocked and goes out for a corner, which comes to nothing.

19′ Gerrard and Babel work it down the field, but Gerrard is brought down by Michael Brown. The free kick from about 30 yards out is flicked away by Cattermole and cleared.

17′ Carragher puts a fine ball in the box for Torres who turns and takes it down, but his half volley goes wide.

16′-De Ridder puts a through ball in for Zaki in the box, but keeper Reina is out quick enough to gather the ball.

16′ Zaki and Mido make it as far as the box, but Lucas puts an end to that.

13′ Gerrard whips a cross in from the left wing and Torres meets it perfectly with his head, but the ball bounces back off of the post instead of going in the net.

10′ Some nice passing as usual by Liverpool, but they don’t penetrate anywhere.

8′ Wigan has won five in a row at home and won’t make it six if they don’t try to attack tonight.

7′ Babel puts a ball through, but Benayoun is offside.

6′ De Ridder crosses from the left corner, but it sails over the net for a goal kick

4′ Mascherano and Zaki collide while going for a 50-50 ball, but both players are eventually up and ready to go.

3′ Arbeloa is lucky not to be booked after leading with his arm while going for a high ball.

1′ We’re underway and it’s a free kick for Liverpool outside the left side of the box. Gerrard whips it in but Skrtel loses possession for a throw in.

0′ Well Robbie Keane makes it to the bench tonight and Rodallega has made it from Mexico to sit on Wigan’s bench.

Reaction

Well, another draw for Liverpool. What a surprise. I wonder if anybody bet on that. The Merseysider’s title hopes seem to be slowly but surely fading into the sunset with another two points going down the drain. This is a game that could have been put to bed with a second goal, but Liverpool just don’t seem to have the killer instinct, especially with Benitez managing them. If you’re looking to take a 2-0 lead I don’t understand taking off Torres and Gerrard. And even Benayoun for that matter, who scored the goal and was having himself quite a match.  Nothing personal, but I think this guy’s actually the worst manager in the league, considering the talent in the squad. He just seems to have no clue how to put it to use. As for Wigan, give them credit for their second half play. They never gave up and could sense the tide turning. In fact they might have snatched all three points if Rodallega’s late free kick was just a few inches lower.

Man of the Match

This is always hard for me, especially when reporting on the match. I think Boyce, Zaki and Mido were the best players for Wigan, while Gerrard and Benayoun were the top two players for Liverpool. Even though he only played 75 minutes, I’m going to go with Yossi Benayoun. He showed a lot of skill when scoring and could have easily had a second after turning a couple of Wigan defenders inside out in the box only to have his shot blocked by Pollitt. I think Benayoun is actually an underrated and under used player and he stood out for me today.