Mauro Boselli

Mauro Boselli grabbed a brace at West Ham United to help fire Wigan Athletic into the last sixteen of the Capital One Cup. Boselli’s clinical finishing made the difference at Upton Park as the Argentinian striker followed up his goal in the last round at Nottingham Forest.

Boselli tapped in from close range after giving Jordan Spence the slip in the 14th minute and later made it 3-1 when he beat the offside trap and then lifted the ball over Henderson from 12 yards with a clever chip.

Wigan’s other goals were scored by Ivan Ramis with a spectacular 25 yard effort and Jordi Gomez who converted a late penalty in the 4-1 win.

Roberto Martinez commented after Tuesday’s win: “He looked strong, he looked very sharp with his build-up play and then that clinical finishing in front of goal.

“I was very, very pleased with his work, it is now a matter of allowing him to settle into the Barclays Premier League. “He had real good opportunity on Saturday and today, he wasn’t afraid to get in good positions to score goals.

“He showed mental strength and how focused he is to be a success this season and to enjoy his football. If he is at his best he will be a real asset for us.”

Since becoming Wigan’s £6.5m record signing from Estudiantes in Argentina, Boselli has struggled to come to terms with the exacting demands of English football and has spent most of the last two seasons loaned out to Genoa in Italy and his former club Estudiantes.

Boselli returned to the DW Stadium at the start of this season but was behind strikers Franco Di Santo and Arouna Kone in the pecking order for a first team place.

He has been a substitute in Wigan’s opening league games but showed his willingness to fight for a first team place when he offered to play as an over age player in the U21’s game against Barnsley. In that game the team were struggling and 3-0 down but two goals by Callum McManaman and a late equaliser by Boselli earned them a 3-3 draw.

His greater commitment and determination are evident this season, but some fans are still unsure whether he has yet fully adapted to the English game. He does not have the physical presence of some strikers and it is a fair to say that his all round play needs improvement.

It is perhaps inevitable that he will not get as many scoring opportunities in England as he got in Argentina but his Capital One Cup exploits should give him the confidence to start scoring in the league.

After his performance on Tuesday night Boselli is now a strong contender for Saturday’s starting line up at Sunderland. His scoring record for Estudiantes was very impressive with 49 goals in 88 games and if he could replicate that kind of form in the Premier League it will make a huge difference to Latics season.