Sunderland survived a late onslaught at the DW Stadium to record a 3-2 win this afternoon as Steven Fletcher scored a brace.
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Wigan started brightly and took the lead in fortunate fashion when Ronnie Stam's effort struck David Vaughan before evading Simon Mignolet in the Sunderland goal.
The visitors responded well, with Alfred N'Diaye and John O'Shea both coming close to equalising with their respective headers.
Martin O'Neill's side were level thanks to a well-placed Craig Gardner penalty after James McCarthy was adjudged to have handled a Sebastian Larsson cross.
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Two goals from Fletcher before half time saw Sunderland completely reverse the scores, with the Scottish striker netting his first in scrappy fashion after Ali Al-Habsi had saved his initial shot.
A smart pass from Adam Johnson found Fletcher in space inside the box and the forward doubled his personal tally with a powerful finish into the top corner.
Wigan looked a much-improved side after the interval and Shaun Maloney went close to pulling a goal back after bursting through the visiting defence but Mignolet reacted to push the ball to safety.
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Sunderland continued to live dangerously as Wigan pushed for a way back into the match to avoid dropping into the relegation zone.
Angelo Henriquez headed home powerfully at the back post to score Wigan's second and set up a dramatic finish but Sunderland held firm to secure the victory.
Callum Mulvihill
