Portsmouth also did the Latics a favour as they took all three points off Hull City. This leaves the Latics three places and seven points ahead of the drop with Portsmouth and Hull City still to face at the DW Stadium.
The game wasn't the brighest spectical and in true Latics style, the team were brought down to the level of Burnley who were very good at drawing the game in and suffocating the passing football of the Latics.
Hugo Rodallega was a passenger for 93 minutes of the game. The former Preston and Derby County full back Tyrone Mears was given a free run up the Clarets right flank as Hugo watched the full back bomb forward time and time again.
This meant double pressure for Figueroa at left back, whilst Hendry Thomas was made to look out of position as he consistently came across to cover for the lazy Columbian.
Diame in the centre of the park is really starting to blossom into a powerful and commanding central midfield player who opponents do not want to coem face to face with. He also has a good bit of skill and has softened the blow of Lee Cattermole's departure this season.
A less than impressive start led to the visitors having the better of the opening chances. However the Clarets seem to lack the cutting edge that is going to help them stay in the division.
David Nugent struggled against Titus Bramble and Steven Fletcher offered little more than work rate and a physical presence. On the other hand, Paterson rattled the Wigan crossbar with the best Burnley move of the game, and he was unlucky not to score.
But when the chips are down, it is quality that is needed. Even with the absence of Charles N'Zogbia through a back injury, the Latics looked to have the extra bit of Joie de vivre with James McCarthy in particlar offering a good outlet on the flank.
Paul Scharner was withdrawn after half and hour as Jason Scotland came on to play in the hole behind Marcelo Moreno. This forced change was a blessing in disguise as Scotland looked far more dangerous than Scharner who seems intent on playing himself out of a summer contract renewal.
James McCarthy had a clear penalty turned down as neither side were able to grab the game by the scruff of the neck. The Latics were frustratingly stuck in second gear with many of the players not firing on all cylinders. Martinez must have been pleased to get them in at half time.
Unfortunatley, the second half was also devoid of any real quality and only Momo Diame's dipping volley on the turn suggested anything different.
With the game becoming more disjointed by the minute, Martinez remained loyal to his game plan. Whilst Burnley through on the ageing Robbie Blake, and former Manchester United trainee Chris Eagles, Martinez was able to add England under 21 international Victor Moses to the fray.
It was the addition of Moses that duly won the game for the Latics. McCarthy was able to move into the middle of the field and have more impact on the game play, whilst Moses was able to offer his creativity on the right flank. This swagger had been missing from the game with the absence of Charlie.
Indeed just minutes before the goal, Moses could have found the net as the ball fell to him just fifteen yards out, but he dallied and was well closed down by Burnley defenders.
The former Crystal Palace man made up for this though as he was slipped in down the right hand side, he skipped past Jordan and delivered a pin point cross for Hugo Rodallega to make up for his 93 minutes of ball watching as he headed home.
Burnley hearts sank whilst Wigan ones fluttered as the full time whistle went on a result that has gone a very, very long way to sealing the fate of both sides.
Here is the reaction of the two managers.
Roberto Martinez
It was a great feeling when the ball hit the net because over the last few games so much has gone against us and at times been very unfair. It was getting to the point where I thought their goalkeeper would be picking up the man-of-the-match award after making some great saves towards the end.
We had a few chances earlier in the game to score, but that is the kind of reward the lads deserve, not just from today but from all those performances we deserved more from this season. I think today shows that sometimes you do get the rewards you deserve.
Burnley came here and did very well, they were very disciplined putting plenty of bodies behind the ball trying to make things very difficult. At times the game was very stop, start but it was important to keep that calmness in our performance and it was very satisfying to see that from everyone.
You could see people were getting anxious in the first-half but after the break the players did well and grew into the game as it went along. We knew we had to increase the tempo in the second-half, because up until that point we'd allowed Burnley to frustrate us and we weren't getting into the right positions quick enough.
But our passing and decision-making got a lot better and quicker which allowed us to enter the final stages of the game looking dangerous. Victor's been a breath of fresh air since arriving at the club and we all knew the talent he had.
The step up to the Premier League is a big one but the way he's been performing shows the maturity in his play and the ability he has.He produced a great assist at the end which was finished well and that will give him a big boost.
Brian Laws
I've got to lift the players up now but, as a manager, I'm certainly lifted by their spirit and determination. I thought we were outstanding, the players were magnificent and did everything asked of them today.
They stuck to the game plan, they worked hard, the got behind the ball. They did everything they possibly could and we could have gone on to win it. Even just before they scored, David Nugent went through and all he had to do was lift it over the goalkeeper. Of course, they went down the other end and it's the cruellest blow of all. If we continue like that we're going to start winning games. They do say football can be cruel at times and that's probably as cruel as it's been for this football club. It's cruel for the players and for the supporters because we definitely deserved something out of this game.
Player ratings
Chris Kirkland 7
Mario Melchiot 5
Maynor Figueroa 6
Titus Bramble 6
Gary Caldwell 6
Momo Diame 7
Hendry Thomas 6
Paul Scharner 4 (Scotland 7)
James McCarthy 7
Hugo Rodallega 5
Marcelo Moreno 6
The table
| Latest match Saturday, 20th March 2010 |
Pld | Home | Away | Overall | Pts | GD | |||||||||||||||||
| W | D | L | F | A | W | D | L | F | A | W | D | L | F | A | |||||||||
| 1 | Arsenal | 31 | 13 | 1 | 2 | 43 | 15 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 30 | 18 | 21 | 4 | 6 | 73 | 33 | 67 | +40 | ||||
| 2 | Manchester United | 30 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 42 | 8 | 8 | 2 | 5 | 28 | 16 | 21 | 3 | 6 | 70 | 24 | 66 | +46 | ||||
| 3 | Chelsea | 29 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 45 | 13 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 24 | 14 | 20 | 4 | 5 | 69 | 27 | 64 | +42 | ||||
| 4 | Tottenham Hotspur | 30 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 33 | 10 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 22 | 19 | 16 | 7 | 7 | 55 | 29 | 55 | +26 | ||||
| 5 | Liverpool | 30 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 37 | 13 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 12 | 17 | 15 | 6 | 9 | 49 | 30 | 51 | +19 | ||||
| 6 | Manchester City | 28 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 30 | 14 | 4 | 7 | 4 | 23 | 22 | 13 | 11 | 4 | 53 | 36 | 50 | +17 | ||||
| 7 | Aston Villa | 29 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 25 | 12 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 16 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 5 | 41 | 24 | 50 | +17 | ||||
| 8 | Everton | 30 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 30 | 18 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 18 | 24 | 12 | 9 | 9 | 48 | 42 | 45 | +6 | ||||
| 9 | Birmingham City | 30 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 15 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 8 | 16 | 24 | 12 | 8 | 10 | 31 | 34 | 44 | -3 | ||||
| 10 | Fulham | 29 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 21 | 9 | 1 | 6 | 8 | 11 | 23 | 10 | 8 | 11 | 32 | 32 | 38 | 0 | ||||
| 11 | Stoke City | 30 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 21 | 19 | 2 | 7 | 5 | 8 | 16 | 8 | 12 | 10 | 29 | 35 | 36 | -6 | ||||
| 12 | Sunderland | 30 | 7 | 7 | 2 | 27 | 16 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 30 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 40 | 46 | 34 | -6 | ||||
| 13 | Blackburn Rovers | 29 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 21 | 12 | 1 | 3 | 11 | 10 | 36 | 9 | 7 | 13 | 31 | 48 | 34 | -17 | ||||
| 14 | Bolton Wanderers | 31 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 22 | 23 | 3 | 3 | 10 | 14 | 33 | 8 | 8 | 15 | 36 | 56 | 32 | -20 | ||||
| 15 | Wigan Athletic | 31 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 14 | 20 | 3 | 2 | 10 | 15 | 39 | 8 | 7 | 16 | 29 | 59 | 31 | -30 | ||||
| 16 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 30 | 4 | 3 | 8 | 10 | 20 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 15 | 29 | 7 | 7 | 16 | 25 | 49 | 28 | -24 | ||||
| 17 | West Ham United | 30 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 24 | 22 | 1 | 5 | 10 | 13 | 29 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 37 | 51 | 27 | -14 | ||||
| 18 | Burnley | 31 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 20 | 17 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 11 | 47 | 6 | 6 | 19 | 31 | 64 | 24 | -33 | ||||
| 19 | Hull City | 30 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 19 | 22 | 0 | 4 | 12 | 10 | 42 | 5 | 9 | 16 | 29 | 64 | 24 | -35 | ||||
| 20 | Portsmouth (-9) | 30 | 4 | 2 | 9 | 20 | 24 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 8 | 29 | 6 | 4 | 20 | 28 | 53 | 13 | -25 | ||||
Next game
Next for the Latics is the trip to Eastlands to face Roberto Mancini's Manchester City on Monday 29th. With the win over Burnley going a long way to securing safety, Roberto Martinez and his men could seal the deal with a surprise win over the money men in light blue.
As a side note, will Bobby be sporting a Latics scarf in opposition to the effort donned by Mancini?
