"It was the last thing I said to the players before they went out, to put on a show for the fans," said Monk.

"We wanted to show heart, front-foot football, and I think we gave them that.

"Hopefully they can enjoy their Christmas even more after a performance like that."

Birmingham had to negotiate a testing opening quarter when Wigan looked more than capable of recording only a second win in the last 10 matches.

But Blues found the goals that proved so elusive for the Latics, which pleased Monk hugely.

"I thought we were professional, clinical, kept a clean sheet and showed good game management," he said. "Those are four aspects of any game that you need to be strong in and we were at it today.

"Certainly compared to a few games lately, that was much more like the standard we've been producing on the whole this season.

"I've said it all along, but when you've got strikers who are in such confident mood, you're capable of anything.

"The service into them is so important, and if we can get the ball into them they can cause problems for most teams.

"I thought we looked a threat every time we had a set-piece and it could have been even more. At the same time, when they had their moments, we stayed switched on and defended very well throughout.

"On the whole it was a fabulous away performance and we thoroughly deserved the three points."

Wigan boss Paul Cook admitted the defeat had left him feeling as low as at any other time since he arrived from Portsmouth in the summer of 2017.

"In football these days there's such a clamour for change," he said.

"But the fact is we've had 18 great months here, it's been such a fantastic ride with so many highs.

"I can't remember too many times I've been in that tunnel after a game feeling the way I did today. And that's part of the game we're in.

"If I, as a manager, want to go further in the game, it's up to me to prove I can come up with the answers. Coming out after a game spouting a load of nonsense won't get me there.

"Unfortunately we're just not getting the rub of the green at both ends of the park, but we won't make excuses.

"Nobody hands you anything in this division and it's up to us to work out a way of turning things around."

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