ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE/ Wigan Athletic 0 Chelsea 1: LUIZ FELIPE SCOLARI had known this was coming. Back in the build-up to his Premier League debut, his comments lost amid what appeared to be outlandish suggestions that Manchester City and Portsmouth would challenge for the title, the Brazilian had warned that Wigan Athletic would cause his team "big problems" in his second game in charge.
The sight of Chelsea's manager punching the air at the final whistle here was a telling indication that a horribly awkward hurdle had been vaulted.
Where Portsmouth had been dismissed with scintillating ease, Wigan were held at arm's bay, though never with any sense of comfort.
Deco had conjured the game's decisive goal but that free-kick, curled gloriously in from distance after only four minutes, was as swashbuckling as Chelsea could muster. Thereafter, this became a test of resilience.
Alex Ferguson has often claimed London sides - apparently as showy as they are flaky - find life difficult in the wilds of the north-west. That may be an urban myth but this was Scolari's first time north of the capital and, even early in his reign, a small psychological blow has been inflicted.
Nothing, as yet, has fazed him about the English game. "I've never been 'north' but I'm at Chelsea for two seasons, so I must get used to Bolton, Manchester United, Manchester City . . ." said Scolari in the aftermath.
"What I expected, I saw today. It was difficult. Winning 1-0 away from home in England is the same as winning 10-0 elsewhere."
"Wigan played better than Portsmouth and had players who are healthy, have power and pressured us. I know we didn't play as well as we did last week, but I understand the reasons why."
The visitors pointed to the lack of fitness of Michael Essien, Michael Ballack and Frank Lampard, and to the absence of the injured Mikel John Obi.
Scolari also lost Ashley Cole to a dead leg but, in truth, Chelsea were winded less by their own ailments and more by Wigan's aggressive energy.
Steve Bruce had seen his own players fan out to various corners of the globe for midweek internationals - his Hondurans Wilson Palacios and Maynor Figueroa were in Mexico, his Egyptian Amr Zaki in Sudan - but they tore into this contest unperturbed.
Zaki, outstanding throughout, twice forced Petr Cech to claw away rasping drives. The substitute Olivier Kapo did likewise in the final exchanges.
This team are far better than their current lack of a points' tally suggests. Dominant for long periods while succumbing at West Ham the previous week, they unsettled the title challengers here. They remain without reward but more productive times surely lie ahead.
This was actually transformed into the latest lesson on the Premier League's cruel hierarchy. Chelsea rode their luck and scored a blistering goal from an individual flash of brilliance. Wigan merited more but were sloppy from their own dead-ball delivery.
"Appalling," said Steve Bruce of his side's free-kicks. "It didn't matter who took them, they kept doing the same thing."
Deco had spent the week practising free-kicks into the right-hand corner only to spot Mike Pollitt - handed an opportunity after Chris Kirkland was ruled out with a back injury in the warm-up - slightly out of position after Lee Cattermole had handled. The shot curled beyond the goalkeeper's dive and Chelsea had their lead on which to cling.
"We've missed an outstanding chance to beat them," added Bruce, who hopes to sign FC Seoul's South Korea forward Park Chu-Young this week.
"They've had a bad day, but the piece of brilliance in the game came from Deco. If it wasn't him it might have been from Nicolas Anelka. If not him, Joe Cole. Florent Malouda. They've got a string of talent, and how do you compete? To think that we used to mock Rangers and Celtic being so dominant [in Scotland]."
Chelsea are likely to become better in the final week of the transfer window.
Their chief executive, Peter Kenyon, was present here but will expect to resume talks with Real Madrid over the potential €35 million signing of the Brazilian forward Robinho as a resolution edges ever closer.
Andriy Shevchenko is due in Milan this morning to undertake a medical ahead of completing a long-term loan move, with a view to a permanent transfer, while Shaun Wright-Phillips is attracting interest from Everton.
The England winger, like the Ukrainian, is surplus to requirements at Stamford Bridge and Scolari will meet Kenyon at Cobham to discuss who will be coming and going. His has been a satisfying start to his career in England. Tottenham Hotspur - pointless to date - will hardly be relishing their trip to Chelsea on Sunday.
• Guardian Service
