Manchester United remain seven points clear at the top of the Premier League table after a 4-0 win over Wigan Athletic at the DW Stadium on Tuesday.
The first period remained a tightly-contested affair until the 35th minute when Javier Hernandez put United ahead. It was two when Robin van Persie scored his 15th league goal of the season moments before the break.
United continued to dominate in the second period and they made it three just past the hour mark when Hernandez added his second, before Van Persie doubled his tally in the final moments.
Here, Sports Mole dissects the 90 minutes of action between the two clubs.
Match statistics:
Wigan:
Shots 4
On target 0
Possession 53%
Corners 2
Fouls 13
Manchester United:
Shots 11
On target 7
Possession 47%
Corners 6
Fouls 6
Was the result fair?
In a word, yes. Wigan started the match in encouraging fashion as they passed and probed with confidence, but the fact that they failed to register a single shot on target in the entire 90 minutes tells its own story. United stormed into a 2-0 lead at the interval and were always comfortable in the latter stages. They have now kept two consecutive clean sheets in the Premier League.
Wigan's performance
4/10. This match summed up Wigan's season thus far. They impressed with their appreciation of possession, but that came at the expense of a real goal threat. Arouna Kone - who had scored in his previous two league matches - struggled for service and Franco di Santo also had a poor afternoon. Roberto Martinez really needs to find a way to start picking up points as he prepares for another relegation battle.
Manchester United's performance
8/10. In many ways this was the perfect away performance from United. They did not panic in the early stages when they struggled to create chances and all but secured the three points in the final 10 minutes of the first period. There was no Wayne Rooney this afternoon, but Hernandez and Van Persie both scored twice as their partnership prospered.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Robin van Persie: The Dutchman would have gained this accolade regardless of whether he had scored twice this afternoon. His goals - the first of which was sensational - were just a minor piece of a wonderful all-round display. His touch and ability to bring his teammates into play was just a joy to behold.
Biggest gaffe of the match
There is no question that Ali Al-Habsi has been a star performer for Wigan this season, but he dropped a clanger for the opening goal. Instead of palming a Patrice Evra effort away from the penalty area, he dropped the ball at the feet of Hernandez, who made no mistake from close range.
Referee performance
Andre Marriner had a fairly quiet 90 minutes of football this afternoon. The match hardly produced a single tackle of note as both sides demonstrated their ability on the ball. Neither side will have had any complaints about the performance of the official.
What next?
Wigan: The Latics open their FA Cup campaign at home to AFC Bournemouth at the weekend before travelling to Fulham in their next Premier League clash on January 12.
Manchester United: United are also in FA Cup action this weekend away to West Ham United before facing a home clash against Liverpool in the Premier League on January 13.
Matt Law
