A long-range effort from Jimmy Bullard secured Wigan all three points in a Christmas cracker at Crewe.
The midfielder's 30-yard effort took a deflection to loop it over keeper Clayton Ince with ten minutes left.
But the strike was bettered by 16-year-old Billy Jones' 25-yard volley which cancelled out Lee McCulloch's opener in the first half.
Out of form Wigan, minus the goal threat of Geoff Horsfield who was sold to West Brom in midweek, tore at Crewe early on and McCulloch turned in Gary Teale's cross from the right to put them on their way in the seventh minute.
However, Crewe hit back within two minutes with Jones connecting superbly with Kenny Lunt's outswinging corner.
The hosts edged in front in the 16th minute when Steve Jones sprung the offside trap and latched onto David Wright's pass to shoot low past John Filan.
Wigan captain Jason De Vos then found an equaliser for his side when some sloppy defending and a corner gave him a free shot from Crewe's goal-line.
Nathan Ellington nearly played Andy Liddell through on goal before he cracked a shot a couple of yards over the bar. Crewe finished the half the stronger with Dean Ashton flicking Dean Lunt's free-kick wide and home debutante Mike Higdon having an effort kicked off the line by Leighton Baines.
The visitors looked the stronger in the second period which struggled to reach the entertaining heights of the first as the swirling rain descended on the Alexandra Stadium.
McCulloch twice missed good chances which would have won the game for Paul Jewell's side, heading wide and then shooting straight at him.
Bullard came up with the late winner although the Latics survived a scare when Ashton bundled the ball in four minutes from time but he was adjudged to have handled.