Tesco triumphed over Harrods in a relatively low-key encounter at the DW Stadium. Maybe there was a touch of complacency on behalf of Sunderland, who may have expected an easy ride against a team still reeling from the events of last Sunday.

I’d prefer to say, however, that it was a marked improvement over the Spurs debacle which ensured all three points for the Latics to take them up to thirteenth in the table and put to rest some of the demons of ‘WhiteHartLaneGate’.

As the players took the pitch, a somewhat nervy home crowd were more hopeful than expectant. In stark contrast, a heavily juiced up Sunderland support were baying for Wigan blood to follow up their defeat of Arsenal the previous week.

It was Wigan that had the better of the first half, however, with decent chances falling to Paul Scharner and Jason Scotland. The teams went into the half time at nil apiece, a scoreline The Black Cats would have been slightly the happier with.

Sunderland came out fighting after the half time break, and things looked to be swinging in the visitors’ favour as Hugo Rodallega suffered what initially looked like quite a nasty knock. Scott Sinclair was readied to replace the Colombian, but Latics would not need him.

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