Asamoah Gyan scores on his debut as 10-man Sunderland draw at Wigan

Eleven goals conceded in their first three home games. Wigan's season could hardly have started any worse. Roberto Martínez fielded an unchanged side to the one that claimed an unexpected win away at Spurs last time out, but Steve Bruce will be the happier manager after watching Sunderland's £13.2m record signing, Asamoah Gyan, score on his debut and his 10 men take a point away from the DW Stadium. It was a tempestuous affair with the referee, Andre Marriner, producing six yellow cards in the first half alone, two of which were shown to Sunderland's captain, Lee Catermole. The 22-year-old former Wigan player was sent off for the fifth time in his career after a foul on Mohamed Diamé was followed up by another on Hugo Rodallega. With less than 22 minutes gone, the visitors were already down to 10 men. The home side – who conceded 10 goals in their first two games this season against Blackpool and Chelsea – started strongly, for once, with Sunderland's right-back Nedum Onuhua, on loan from Manchester City, having his work cut out against the energetic Diamé and Rodallega. Wigan created the game's first opening when Mauro Boselli headed the ball into the path of Diamé, who lashed it across Simon Mignolet and wide. Two minutes later, Rodallega cut into the Sunderland box but saw his shot deflected off Onuoha behind for a corner. Despite enjoying the luxury of playing with an extra man Wigan struggled to create the clear-cut chances one would have expected, while Sunderland often looked dangerous on the counter attack. James McCarthy came close to putting the Latics ahead in the 36th minute, only for his effort to go narrowly over the bar. Bruce brought on Gyan for Danny Welbeck at half-time in an attempt to rejuvenate his side. But it was Wigan who remained on the front foot, with Rodallega firing at Mignolet after collecting the ball on the edge of the box and sending another effort just wide, which he might have been expected to score. Martínez then introduced some of his new signings; Franco Di Santo, as well another former Wigan player, Charles N'Zogbia, with Hendry Thomas and Ronnie Stam making way. Boselli managed to squirm around Mignolet after being fed by Diamé, but could not get a shot away and Di Santo delivered a cross into the danger zone, which the Belgian stopper dived to catch. Boselli then had another attempt, which went high over the bar. The Latics fans were sensing that a goal was not far away. That proved to be the case, but it was Sunderland who found it against the run of play as Gyan side-footed Jordan Henderson's cross past the Wigan goalkeeper Ali Al-Habsi. They left it late but Wigan managed to salvage a draw to pick up their first home point of the season, after the debutant Tom Cleverley blasted a volley towards the net in the 87th minute, which Antolín Alcaraz headed in. It was not the first back-to-back league win for three years that Wigan were looking for, but Martínez will have been relieved it was not a third straight home defeat. Having played the final three quarters of the game against 10 men, Wigan supporters would have expected a better result.