The future of Aston Villa boss David O'Leary is again open to debate as Wigan finally celebrated their first Barclays Premiership win at the JJB Stadium since Boxing Day.
Even then, it was not without some consternation as they were at one stage pegged back after taking the lead for a ninth successive league game, only for a Henri Camara double to settle the issue.
But after earning some breathing space with Sunday's vital derby win over Birmingham, O'Leary is almost certain to find himself back in the firing line with Villa fans.
Villa may have a 10-point cushion to the relegation zone, but the fact they have flirted with the bottom three this season following sixth and 10th-place finishes in the last two seasons adds fuel to the fire for O'Leary's detractors.
In doing the 'double' over Villa, Wigan are back in with a shot of a Uefa Cup place as they trail sixth-placed Blackburn by three points.
The first half had 'end of season' written all over it, and it was a case of small mercies that Jimmy Bullard was on hand to raise spirits.
Out of the ordinary came something extra special in the 25th minute because what had preceded that numbed the senses. It was down to a man who has not missed a Premiership game this season - and started all bar one - to inject life into matters.
Captain Jason Roberts chased down a floated ball into the area from the right wing from Gary Teale, hooking it back into the danger area.
From there Gary Cahill, a Villa hero from Sunday's derby triumph, cleared with an overhead kick, only for the ball to fall to Bullard two yards outside the area.
Bullard proceeded to connect with a sweet right-foot volley into the top left-hand corner that gave goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen no chance.
Villa failed to spark despite the confidence they should have gained from beating Birmingham, and mustered just one chance in the opening half, when in the 17th minute captain Gareth Barry turned inside Pascal Chimbonda and fired in a half volley past Stephane Henchoz.
However, goalkeeper John Filan turned the ball aside, and was aided by Teale who hacked clear with Milan Baros poised to pounce.
What was then put in the players' half-time cup of tea is anybody's guess as the game exploded with four goals in 15 minutes, with the match played with the kind of passion as if it were a season-opener.
Wigan were on top when Juan Pablo Angel slid in onto a low, piercing ball from half-time substitute Gabriel Agbonlahor for his third goal of the season.
Then Wigan - and Camara in particular - lit up the game with a brace inside four minutes. His first in the 56th was exquisite as he seemingly had nowhere to go from just inside the area after receiving a ball from Ziegler.
He turned Cahill inside out, and with three players in front of him, managed to squeeze in a shot that beat Sorensen low inside his right-hand post.
On the hour, Camara and Chimbonda exchanged passes inside the area, with the latter's ball into the six-yard box hacked away by Cahill.
But it was clearly not the luckless youngster's night as he merely found Camara who drove home his 11th goal this term.
After Angel had planted a downward header narrowly wide, Villa were handed a lifeline with Liam Ridgewell scoring his first since the end of December.
A right-wing cross from Barry skimmed off the head of Francis, and with Ridgewell in behind the Wigan defence and at point-blank range, he slipped the ball home underneath Filan.
Ridgewell and Angel had the chances to equalise again in a rousing finale, while Bullard should have eased nerves very late on.
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