Fulham's late goal sinks Wigan

A last minute goal from Philippe Senderos earned Fulham a come-from-behind 2-1 win and deny Wigan a precious point in their bid for Premier League survival at Craven Cottage on Saturday.

Fulham made two changes from the side that drew with Chelsea last time out - Pavel Pogrebnyak returning after an ankle injury up front with Swiss defender Senderos coming in for injured Stephen Kelly.

Wigan manager Roberto Martinez lined up the same XI that inflicted Monday's impressive 2-1 defeat on Arsenal.

The Latics had raced to a two-goal lead within the first eight minutes at the Emirates, but there were no such heroics here, with their first attack of any note coming on the stroke of half-time.

Fulham keeper Mark Schwarzer kept the visitors at bay though, doing well to deny Jordi Gomez who had cut in from the right to shoot low at the near post.

Five minutes earlier, down at the other end, Schwarzer's opposite number Ali Al Habsi, castigated by Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger for time wasting at the start of the week, had to look sharp to pick up Clint Dempsey's dangerous cross from the left to Senderos.

With Wigan hovering only three points above the relegation zone before the trip to west London the half-time stalemate would have satisfied Martinez, but all three points were in the offing when they took the lead on 57 minutes.

The Latics broke the deadlock when Emmerson Boyce struck from just outside the penalty area, sending the ball low past Schwarzer and into the bottom left corner of the Australian's net.

But their lead lasted only 60 seconds, as Fulham responded when Al Habsi was unable to deny a low shot from Pogrebnyak on the edge of the box after the Russian was set up by Moussa Dembele.

On 63 minutes Progrebnyak went desperately close to putting Fulham in front when his close range shot bounced off the underside of the cross bar, hitting the line.

Then, with one minute left on the clock and Wigan eyeing a welcome draw, Senderos bagged the winner when he nodded in John Arne Riise's free-kick past the hapless Al Habsi.

It was a cruel end for Wigan after their heroics against Arsenal, the defeat leaving Martinez's men on 34 points, while Fulham moved up one place into ninth.