As the main image to this article shows, it was as emphatic a win as they could have hoped for, Rochdale making the relatively short trip to Wigan and coming away 5-0 victors.
There is no hiding from a scoreline such as that; no real excuses that can be given. Essentially, Rochdale were on top of a beleagured Wigan outfit from the off. The Dale remained the dominant side throughout the game.
Gregor Rioch’s Wigan outfit had the bulk of the possession (51.7%) but that counts for nothing when your opponents outshoot you 21-to-9. The Latics had a sorry night where they were simply swept away by a Rochdale side they had no answer to.
Three Rochdale players who performed well in 5-0 over Wigan
Alex Newby: right-sided midfielder Newby saw 4% of the possession during the game, completing 23 of 32 passes on the night. It was a 72% completion rate that also saw him make three key passes – creating chances for teammates. He had four shots that returned a two-goal haul.
Matthew Lund: striker Lund was another Dale player who performed well in beating Wigan so handsomely. Like Newby he got into the game, having the same 4% possession and was accurate with 26 of his 33 passes. Two of these passes were key passes and one led to an assist for Stephen Dooley.
Stephen Humphreys: Lund’s fellow striker Humphreys wasn’t as involved in general play, gaining just 1% of possession but it was as a ‘target man’ where he excelled. He was a threat all night long, the 23-year-old hitting seven shots, three of these being on target.
