A grandstand finish was not enough to secure a point for Wigan as Northampton edged a Sky Bet League One thriller 3-2.
Visitors Northampton - who had lost each of their five visits to Wigan's home since 1999 - took the lead in the 13th minute.
And it was former Wigan academy starlet Ryan Watson who got the last touch, with Jamie Jones unable to get across in time.
It was 2-0 just eight minutes later, with Sam Hoskins taking advantage of some poor defending to walk through the middle before slotting into the net.
Credit must go to Wigan for their response in the second half, and it was game on when Tom Pearce was tripped in the box in the 63rd minute.
Skipper Joe Garner made no mistake from the spot, but the visitors took only three minutes to re-establish their two-goal advantage.
Chris Merrie gave the ball away cheaply, and he was punished as Caleb Chukwuemeka made no mistake from inside the area.
Still Latics refused to throw in the towel, and Tom James made it 3-2 with a brilliant header from Pearce's left-wing cross.
And it was almost 3-3 with five minutes to go, when Scotland Under-19s striker Kyle Joseph - off the bench for his league debut - turned sharply before seeing his low shot come back off the post.