The Latics progressed comfortably past a potential banana skin with a 4-1 win over Huddersfield Town with a performance of class that pleased manager Roberto Martinez.
The Spaniard told the club's official website: “It was a very difficult game for us, but to come away from home and score four goals is very pleasing.
“We adapted to the condition of the pitch very well and met the demands of competing in two competitions, looking like a team with cohesion that knew what was required to win.
“It also serves as a mark of the work being done behind the scenes that we can make a number of changes and still record such a result; three years ago we couldn’t have worked with a squad of this size and win football games.
“James McArthur showed a strong footballing brain; he was at the heart of everything going forwards for us and fully deserved his goal.
“Callum McManaman, as we all know, is a real talent and someone who can really expose defenders in one-v-one situations and did just that throughout the game.
“But overall the attitude of the squad was fantastic, showing great concentration against a team who pushed forward in the second-half and threw the ball in the area a lot."
The reward for beating Huddersfield is a visit to either Oldham Athletic or Everton after their tie is settled. The tie was a 2-2 draw at Boundary Park and a replay is needed to settle things between the two teams.