Shaun Maloney gave Wigan a famous win that lifted them out of the relegation zone and dented Man United's title ambitions.
Wigan beat United for first time
Shaun Maloney's goal five minutes into the second half gave Wigan a famous win that lifted them out of the relegation zone and ensured Man United's lead at the top was cut to five points.
Maloney collected a short corner on the edge of the box before curling a wonderful shot beyond Daivd De Gea to give the Latics a deserved first ever victory over their Lancashire neighbours.
United though will feel the corner should not have been given, with replays showing the ball came off a Wigan player last.
Roberto Martnez's side had earlier felt aggrieved at the officials themselves when Victor Moses saw his first-half header disallowed for an apparent foul on goalkeeper De Gea by Gary Caldwell.
United boss Sir Alex Ferguson surprisingly took off top scorer Wayne Rooney midway through the second half as United tried to force their way back into the game.
The best chance fell to substitute Danny Welbeck, who saw his drilled shot from a tight angle well blocked by Ali Al Habsi.
They also saw their penalty claims turned down when the ball appeared to strike the arm of Maynor Figueroa in the box.
Wigan's victory ensures they move out of the drop zone for the first time in six months as well as allowing Manchester City right back into the title race.
After the debacle of Stamford Bridge, where they conceded two goals that were clearly offside and a red-card punch by Branislav Ivanovic on Maloney, Wigan must have thought they had endured as much misery as possible at the hands of officials.
But the mystifying events on the half hour merely provided more ire in the Latics camp.
Reaction
When Dowd initially signalled a goal as Moses powered home his header, the reaction of United's players was telling.
No-one headed towards the referee to complain. Ryan Giggs and Rio Ferdinand merely turned in frustration and took their first strides towards the halfway line.
Dowd, on the edge of the area, had a clear view. Assistant Dave Richardson, 45 yards away, spotted something the referee had missed, namely Gary Caldwell blocking David de Gea.
The decision might have had more merit if the Spain Under-21 international had actually tried to reach Maloney's corner.
That he meekly accepted his fate just made the outcome even worse.
Stood on the touchline, Martinez was incredulous. And when he was informed by the fourth official why the goal had not been given, the Spaniard was even more furious.
The goal would have been the least Wigan deserved too far an outstanding first-half performance, in which they denied the champions-elect the time and space to display their obvious talents.
Sir Alex Ferguson's presence on the touchline for long periods was evidence all was not well in the United camp.
James McCarthy had a shot tipped over by De Gea before the row and Wigan wasted a number of free-kick opportunities, most of which were earned by Franco di Santo's industry.
A Giggs flick that almost released Javier Hernandez and a blocked Rooney shot in the final minutes of the half were obvious reasons for the hosts to worry.
Big clubs
When questioned a couple of weeks ago about whether big clubs are favoured by referees - after Fulham's Danny Murphy was denied a last-minute penalty at Old Trafford - Ferguson stuck his colours firmly to the mast of such decisions evening themselves out.
And the evidence came four minutes after the restart.
As soon as Dowd awarded a corner following Phil Jones' tangle with Jean Beausejour, the United man indicated the referee had got it wrong.
Those pesky TV cameras proved it too. Jones never got near to the ball as it rolled out of play.
No-one from the Wigan camp was apologising though as Maloney exchanged passes with Beausejour, skipped round Rooney and curled a delightful shot past De Gea.
Having already introduced Tom Cleverley at half-time, Ferguson took decisive action, first by bringing on Danny Welbeck, then introducing Nani - back after five weeks out with an ankle injury - with Rooney the man replaced, without a hint of protest.
Then came the second vital call on Wigan's behalf as Figueroa clearly blocked Jones' cross with his arm, but unbelievably, there was no penalty.
For the second time as far as Wigan were concerned, it was a case of two wrongs making a right.
United attempted to shrug off the disappointment by forcing their way through the Wigan defences.
There was no way through though, with Nani and Michael Carrick wasting the best chances to spoil a famous night for the Latics, whose full significance will only become known in five games' time.
| Wigan Athletic |
Team Statistics |
Manchester United |
| 1 |
Goals |
0 |
| 0 |
1st Half Goals |
0 |
| 3 |
Shots on Target |
1 |
| 3 |
Shots off Target |
6 |
| 7 |
Blocked Shots |
2 |
| 7 |
Corners |
3 |
| 8 |
Fouls |
14 |
| 2 |
Offsides |
2 |
| 1 |
Yellow Cards |
2 |
| 0 |
Red Cards |
0 |
| 78.4 |
Passing Success |
83.1 |
| 20 |
Tackles |
28 |
| 50 |
Tackles Success |
82.1 |
| 44.7 |
Possession |
55.3 |
| 43.3 |
Territorial Advantage |
56.7 |
| 366 |
Total Passes |
451 |
| 14 |
Total Crosses |
17 |
| 142 |
Lost Balls |
150 |
| 39 |
Recoveries |
53 |
| 54.5 |
1st Half Poss. |
45.5 |
| 34.7 |
2nd Half Poss. |
65.2 |
|
