That's not how it played out. Despite going behind to a soft goal, the Latics fought back to earn a very respectable draw.
So impressive was the fight back from Martinez' side that many inside the ground felt that the Latics deserved all three points.
Here is the reaction of those involved.
Roberto Martinez
I was very proud and pleased with the performance, but I do have mixed feelings. We never got going for the first 10-15 minutes, we didn’t understand what we had to do in terms of stopping Liverpool, and we got punished for that.
We allowed them too much time and space in the wrong areas, and it took us a few minutes to get into the game.
But it was a great reaction after that and, if you look at the amount of chances we created and the amount of possession we had against a side full of confidence, we’re disappointed with a point – which is a very good sign.
We were just lacking that little bit of luck and that little bit of know-how that would have allowed us to have won.
Roy Hodgson
We didn't deserve to win the game. We looked tired today and I don't think our passing was anywhere near as good as we expected it to be.
We had a bright start and a bright finish but for a long period in between we weren't anywhere near where I would expect us to be. I think we can be more than happy with the point we got from the game.
It was a wonderful piece of play from two outstanding players for our goal. It was a marvellous pass and wonderful finish that put us on the front foot. But we didn't capitalise on that.
Even though we had a spell when we were pretty much in control, there were also long periods, especially from the start of the second half, where we just invited Wigan on to us.
We consistently gave the ball away and as a result they took advantage and equalised. We did better towards the end and were perhaps a little bit unlucky with Steven's (Gerrard) shot that hit the underside of the crossbar, but it would have been harsh on Wigan had we won it.
Steven Gerrard
When I went through on goal, I maybe struck my shot too well but I should have scored - I expected to. As we haven't taken maximum points, maybe people should point a finger at me.
Besides those things, I'm happy with my form. After a fantastic win over Chelsea and having gone 1-0 up, of course we understand why people will be slightly disappointed.
The table
| Latest match Wednesday, 10th November 2010 |
Pld | Home | Away | Overall | Pts | GD | |||||||||||||||||
| W | D | L | F | A | W | D | L | F | A | W | D | L | F | A | |||||||||
| 1 | Chelsea | 12 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 5 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 28 | 5 | 28 | +23 | ||||
| 2 | Manchester United | 12 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 24 | 13 | 24 | +11 | ||||
| 3 | Arsenal | 12 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 15 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 24 | 11 | 23 | +13 | ||||
| 4 | Manchester City | 12 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 15 | 10 | 21 | +5 | ||||
| 5 | Newcastle United | 12 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 15 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 21 | 16 | 17 | +5 | ||||
| 6 | Bolton Wanderers | 12 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 18 | 17 | 16 | +1 | ||||
| 7 | Tottenham Hotspur | 12 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 14 | 15 | 16 | -1 | ||||
| 8 | Sunderland | 12 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 10 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 12 | 13 | 16 | -1 | ||||
| 9 | Liverpool | 12 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 9 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 13 | 15 | 16 | -2 | ||||
| 10 | Aston Villa | 12 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 13 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 13 | 16 | 16 | -3 | ||||
| 11 | West Bromwich Albion | 12 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 15 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 16 | 21 | 16 | -5 | ||||
| 12 | Everton | 12 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 13 | 11 | 15 | +2 | ||||
| 13 | Blackburn Rovers | 12 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 13 | 14 | 15 | -1 | ||||
| 14 | Blackpool | 12 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 16 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 19 | 26 | 14 | -7 | ||||
| 15 | Fulham | 12 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 7 | 3 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 0 | ||||
| 16 | Stoke City | 12 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 13 | 18 | 13 | -5 | ||||
| 17 | Birmingham City | 12 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 12 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 14 | 17 | 12 | -3 | ||||
| 18 | Wigan Athletic | 12 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 15 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 9 | 21 | 11 | -12 | ||||
| 19 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 12 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 12 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 11 | 20 | 9 | -9 | ||||
| 20 | West Ham United | 12 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 11 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 11 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 22 | 8 | -11 | ||||
Next game
Next up for the Latics is the visit of Paul Scharner and West Bromwich Albion to the DW Stadium. A win for the Martinez and his team would put the Latics just two points behind the Baggies.