Swansea fightback leaves Wigan facing drop

LONDON (AFP) –

Wigan Athletic’s English striker Callum McManaman (L) is challenged by Swansea City’s Spanish midfielder Pablo Hernandez during the English Premier League football match between Wigan Athletic and Swansea City at the DW Stadium in Wigan on May 7, 2013. Swansea won 3-2.

Wigan Athletic face an uphill battle to avoid relegation from the Premier League after twice relinquishing the lead in an agonising 3-2 loss at home to Swansea City on Tuesday.

Wigan, who tackle Manchester City in the FA Cup final on Saturday, could have moved out of the bottom three with victory, but instead they find themselves three points from safety with only two games to play.

After the Wembley clash with City, who warmed up with a 1-0 win at home to West Bromwich Albion, Roberto Martinez’s side visit fourth-place Arsenal before hosting Aston Villa on the season’s final day.

Wigan began the game in enterprising fashion at the DW Stadium and made the breakthrough in first-half injury time.

Swansea goalkeeper Michel Vorm did not get enough distance on a punch and from the edge of the box, Roger Espinoza arrowed a left-foot volley into the bottom-left corner for his first Wigan goal.

Swansea City’s Dutch goalkeeper Michel Vorm recieves treatment following a collision during the English Premier League football match between Wigan Athletic and Swansea city at the DW stadium in Wigan on May 7, 2013. Swansea won 3-2.

Martinez celebrated jubilantly, but Angel Rangel brought Wigan down to earth early in the second half when he met Wayne Routledge’s cross with a crisp volley that found the net via the left-hand upright.

The hosts re-established their lead within three minutes, James McCarthy bursting through and beating Vorm with a low shot, and James McArthur then failed to make telling contact with an inviting cross from Arouna Kone.

It was to prove a costly miss as, in the 59th minute, Swansea equalised again.

Recalled Wigan captain Gary Caldwell gave the ball away to Leon Britton and from his pass, on-loan Kaiserslautern striker Itay Shechter beat Joel Robles with the aid of a deflection off Emmerson Boyce.

Manchester City’s Bosnian forward Edin Dzeko celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the English Premier League football match between Manchester City and West Bromwich Albion at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester on May 7, 2013. City won 1-0.

Eager to atone, Caldwell saw a thumping header brilliantly touched over the bar by Vorm, before an exhibition of panicked defending allowed Swansea to claim the winner.

McArthur and Shaun Maloney got in a muddle as they tried to clear a Pablo Hernandez cross and Dwight Tiendalli pounced to slide a shot past the exposed Robles.

An injury to Vorm, who had to be stretchered off after clashing heads with team-mate Ben Davies, yielded nine minutes of stoppage time, but an injury to Ronnie Stam left Wigan with 10 man and Swansea managed to hold on.

At the Etihad Stadium, Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini made eight changes to the team that drew 0-0 at Swansea on Saturday, but saw his side prevail thanks to a 35th-minute volley from Edin Dzeko.

The Bosnian striker expertly dispatched a cross from the tireless Carlos Tevez to give the deposed champions a seven-point cushion over third-place Chelsea.

FA Cup winners in 2011 and league champions last year, City will be bidding to win their third major title in three seasons when they tackle cup final debutants Wigan at the national stadium on Saturday.