Here is the reaction of the two managers.
Roberto Martinez
It's almost impossible to put that into words.We showed how much we wanted to win the game, and the second half performance didn't happen by accident.
The second 45 minutes was a result of all the hard work the players have put in over the past ten months. It was an example of how much the players feel about the club, their careers and the pride they have in what they do.
It is one of those days to be very proud of Wigan Athletic, the town and the players.
We'll enjoy this win for a few hours but we need to quickly settle down and get ready for the Stoke game on Sunday. That's one cup final gone, and we have one more to go next week.
Before the game we said quite clearly that the league was over for us. We'd had a pretty good 36 rounds without getting the points we maybe deserved, but it was now about two cup finals.
This was one, an exciting one and an important one. And we must prepare for the second one in exactly the same fashion with hopefully the same result.
Avram Grant (Now scaked by West Ham)
Since January we have had a better squad here than last year. We just haven't taken points when we have been the better side.
If you see the performances generally I cannot say we are a bad team but I am the last man who can ignore results. And you have to remember there is no Hull or Burnley and no teams that were under the threat of liquidation like Portsmouth, so the league is much stronger this time. Last year the teams at the bottom were very weak. Look at where Hull and Burnley are now. They are not even fighting to get back into the Premier League. I thought we could stay in this league, which is the reason I came here. I believe in this club but it has been very difficult, there were a lot of financial problems. The owners saved the club. It could have been the same situation as at Portsmouth. But the financial situation was not very good when I came here.
The table
| Home | Away | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Team | Pl | W | D | L | F | A | W | D | L | F | A | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | GD | ||||
| 1 | [C] Manchester United | 37 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 45 | 10 | 5 | 10 | 4 | 29 | 25 | 22 | 11 | 4 | 74 | 35 | 77 | +39 | ||||
| 2 | Chelsea | 37 | 14 | 3 | 2 | 39 | 13 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 30 | 19 | 21 | 8 | 8 | 69 | 32 | 71 | +37 | ||||
| 3 | Arsenal | 37 | 11 | 4 | 4 | 33 | 15 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 37 | 26 | 19 | 10 | 8 | 70 | 41 | 67 | +29 | ||||
| 4 | Manchester City | 36 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 31 | 12 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 24 | 21 | 19 | 8 | 9 | 55 | 33 | 65 | +22 | ||||
| 5 | Tottenham Hotspur | 37 | 8 | 9 | 1 | 28 | 18 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 25 | 27 | 15 | 14 | 8 | 53 | 45 | 59 | +8 | ||||
| 6 | Liverpool | 37 | 12 | 4 | 3 | 37 | 14 | 5 | 3 | 10 | 22 | 29 | 17 | 7 | 13 | 59 | 43 | 58 | +16 | ||||
| 7 | Everton | 37 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 30 | 23 | 4 | 8 | 7 | 20 | 22 | 12 | 15 | 10 | 50 | 45 | 51 | +5 | ||||
| 8 | Fulham | 37 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 28 | 21 | 3 | 9 | 7 | 19 | 20 | 11 | 15 | 11 | 47 | 41 | 48 | +6 | ||||
| 9 | Stoke City | 36 | 10 | 4 | 4 | 31 | 17 | 3 | 3 | 12 | 15 | 27 | 13 | 7 | 16 | 46 | 44 | 46 | +2 | ||||
| 10 | Bolton Wanderers | 37 | 10 | 5 | 3 | 34 | 22 | 2 | 5 | 12 | 18 | 32 | 12 | 10 | 15 | 52 | 54 | 46 | -2 | ||||
| 11 | West Bromwich Albion | 37 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 30 | 30 | 4 | 4 | 10 | 23 | 38 | 12 | 10 | 15 | 53 | 68 | 46 | -15 | ||||
| 12 | Newcastle United | 37 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 38 | 24 | 5 | 5 | 9 | 15 | 30 | 11 | 12 | 14 | 53 | 54 | 45 | -1 | ||||
| 13 | Aston Villa | 37 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 25 | 19 | 4 | 5 | 10 | 22 | 40 | 11 | 12 | 14 | 47 | 59 | 45 | -12 | ||||
| 14 | Sunderland | 37 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 25 | 27 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 17 | 29 | 11 | 11 | 15 | 42 | 56 | 44 | -14 | ||||
| 15 | Blackburn Rovers | 37 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 22 | 16 | 3 | 3 | 12 | 21 | 41 | 10 | 10 | 17 | 43 | 57 | 40 | -14 | ||||
| 16 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 37 | 8 | 4 | 6 | 28 | 27 | 3 | 3 | 13 | 16 | 36 | 11 | 7 | 19 | 44 | 63 | 40 | -19 | ||||
| 17 | Birmingham City | 37 | 6 | 8 | 5 | 19 | 22 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 17 | 34 | 8 | 15 | 14 | 36 | 56 | 39 | -20 | ||||
| 18 | Blackpool | 37 | 5 | 5 | 9 | 30 | 37 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 23 | 37 | 10 | 9 | 18 | 53 | 74 | 39 | -21 | ||||
| 19 | Wigan Athletic | 37 | 5 | 8 | 6 | 22 | 34 | 3 | 7 | 8 | 17 | 27 | 8 | 15 | 14 | 39 | 61 | 39 | -22 | ||||
| 20 | [R] West Ham United | 37 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 24 | 28 | 2 | 7 | 10 | 19 | 39 | 7 | 12 | 18 | 43 | 67 | 33 | -24 | ||||
Next game
Next up for the Latics is the visit to Stoke City. A win at the Brittania Stadium is an absolute must for Roberto Martinez and his team who must then hope that either Blackpool or Birmingham do not pickup maximum points at Manchester United and Tottenham respectively.
