Fixture - Wigan vs Everton

Match report

Leighton Baines lashed home an 88th-minute penalty to deny his former club their first home win of the new Barclays Premier League season after an all-action encounter at the DW Stadium.

Baines kept his nerve after Kevin Mirallas was pulled down by Maynor Figueroa in the box to claim a point for David Moyes' men, who had dominated much of the second half but until then had failed to find a leveller.

Arouna Kone's 10th-minute opener for the home side was cancelled out almost instantly by a Nikica Jelavic header, but Franco Di Santo's 23rd-minute strike put Wigan back in front.

Both sides missed plenty of chances and Wigan almost won it in injury time when a shot from Shaun Maloney took an enormous deflection and looped over the helpless Tim Howard only to land on the roof of the net.

Wigan took the lead when Maloney turned Seamus Coleman in the left side of the box before crossing for Kone to nod home. But it was a lead that lasted less than a minute, with Everton responding in almost identical fashion when Steven Pienaar floated a header from the left and Jelavic was unmarked in front of goal to head home from point-blank range.

Everton's best spell of the game came to an end in the 23rd minute when Kone dribbled in along the right touchline and beat Baines before pulling the ball back for Di Santo to ram into the roof of the net. Di Santo almost grabbed his second and Wigan's third three minutes later with a 25-yard effort that Howard did well to tip round a post, then Maloney dragged a shot just wide as the Latics pressed forward.

Leon Osman was unlucky not to equalise on the half-hour when his goal-bound shot inside the box took a big deflection off Gary Caldwell and was pushed over the bar by Ali Al Habsi, who also saved a low Mirallas effort.

And, as Everton ended the half strongly, they came even closer on 40 minutes when Baines dribbled a shot against the base of a Wigan post from a tight angle and the rebound bobbled in the six-yard box with no team-mate lurking to touch it in.

The visitors started the second half with more purpose, Mirallas making an early foray deep into the Wigan half, then Jelavic attempting a shot on the turn that flashed over Al Habsi's bar.

Baines cut the ball back for Mirallas to lash another effort just over in the 52nd minute, and the same player was threaded clean through two minutes later to try a low shot which Al Habsi turned round a post.

But Everton were again reminded of Wigan's danger on the counter-attack in the 62nd minute when Di Santo set Maloney clear and the winger’s ball into the box was intercepted by Phil Jagielka with Kone poised to tap it home.

Figueroa made a vital interception to deny Jelavic in the 76th minute as the striker swung back his leg to shoot, the Wigan man stretching to get an all-important touch.

Everton’s pressure finally paid off with the late penalty. Figueroa nudging Mirallas and giving Baines the opportunity to ram home the equaliser.

Wigan almost grabbed the points back in the first minute of injury time when Kone played in Maloney, whose shot took a mighty deflection and looped over Howard only to drop agonisingly on the roof of the net.