Leyton Orient moved up to eighth in League One after beating Wigan 2-0 at the DW Stadium on Saturday. The visitors took an early lead through Tony Springett in the fifteenth minute and doubled their advantage before half-time with Yusuf Akhamrich's goal. Wigan, sitting twenty-second with three points from four games, could not find a way back into the contest despite holding sixty-one per cent of possession.
Springett's opener came after a period of sustained pressure from the away side. By then Leyton Orient had already created their biggest opportunity of the match, though they did not travel to make up the numbers in terms of shots. Wigan responded with volume — eleven shots off target against three on target from the visitors — but could not convert the effort into a breakthrough.
Max Power picked up a yellow card in the eighteenth minute as things grew tight in midfield. Jaze Kabia joined him on the book a little later, while Isaac Hayden and Idris El Mizouni also received cautions for both sides. The discipline record did little to change the flow of the game, which remained in the hands of the visitors throughout.
Wigan's statistics tell a familiar story: thirteen shots, three big chances created, and still nothing to show for it. Leyton Orient managed the match with fewer possessions but greater efficiency, landing three shots on target from eight attempts while Wigan could only manage two from thirteen. And here's the thing — the away side needed only one big chance to take the lead again, this time through Akhamrich in the fifty-eighth minute.
Eight substitutions were made across both halves as managers tried to shift the momentum. Nathan Baxter and James Morris came on early for Wigan, while Charlie Wellens, Akeel Higgins, Sonny Perkins, James Carragher, Jensen Weir, and Dara Costelloe all featured. Tony Springett and Jaze Kabia were among the final changes for Leyton Orient, who then saw El Mizouni booked on two minutes of stoppage time.
The result leaves Wigan four points adrift of safety with one game remaining, while Leyton Orient move clear of the drop zone entirely. The visitors have now won twice in four matches and sit on six points, having pulled away from the teams around them. To be fair, the gap was always going to be measured in moments like these rather than possession figures.