RYAN GIGGS emerged from the bench to conjure up a rescue act for Manchester United at the JJB Stadium yesterday afternoon. Half-fit and without a game for more than a month, Giggs was only named as a substitute by Alex Ferguson as an emergency measure after Cristiano Ronaldo failed to recover from an ankle injury.

But the Welshman still had too much class for Wigan, turning the game on its head after Leighton Baines' stunning fourth-minute free-kick had given the home side a half-time lead.

It was Giggs' corner which provided Nemanja Vidic with the equaliser, by which point he had already succeeded in wiping all the early swagger out of Wigan's play. A brilliant piece of control from Louis Saha allowed the Frenchman to put United in front four minutes after Vidic's header and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer maintained his recent fine form with a stoppage-time third to seal a deserved win.

For a long time though, it looked as though United would have to wait for their first Premiership away triumph since August. With Park Ji-Sung, Gabriel Heinze and Mikael Silvestre injured and Giggs so far short of full fitness he was only supposed to be coming along for the ride, the loss of Ronaldo and skipper Gary Neville were major blows for the visitors.

Patrice Evra gave them some width but it was a thankless task, especially as Ferguson could hardly expect Wayne Rooney to hog the left flank, the station he occupied in a five-man United midfield.

It was Rooney who came agonisingly close to the equaliser midway through the opening period, taking down Evra's deep cross with his back to goal, beating two men, then smashing a thunderous shot against the Wigan bar. He also felt brave enough to let fly with a longrange shot, so clearly there are no issues with his confidence. The same should have been true of the entire United side given their form before the international break, yet organisationally, they were a shambles, with Michael Carrick once more anonymous.

Losing such an early goal could not have helped. Presented with a free-kick by Evra's handball, Wigan quickly laid the ball back to Baines, whose first Premiership goal arrowed into the top corner, giving Edwin van der Sar no chance.

Ferguson's decision to introduce Giggs at the break hinted at desperation yet, given the Welshman's form prior to his recent hamstring injury, it was an obvious move. And what an impact he made as United seized control. Giggs had already suggested he was in the mood to create havoc before he delivered the pinpoint rightwing corner just past the hour mark which saw Vidic power home his first goal since arriving at Old Trafford in a £7million deal from Spartak Moscow in January.

The arrival of Giggs also released Rooney from his leftwing hell. Even though the youngster reverted to a more orthodox striking position, he dropped deep with more freedom than he had done before.

And, after one audacious attempt to set up Saha had met with an unhappy conclusion when the Frenchman drilled disappointingly wide, the next time the pair combined, it was with devastating consequences for Wigan.

First, Saha showed intelligent movement to reach Rooney's cross in the first place. Then, after an absolutely magnificent first touch to bring the ball down from shoulder height, the Frenchman produced a finish to match, beating Kirkland with a stabbed effort which bounced off the inside of a post. Rooney, Saha and Solskjaer all had chances to ease United home before the third eventually arrived, courtesy of the Norwegian's clinical injury-time finish.

After the game, Ferguson hailed a return to form for Rooney.

"I think we've done really well to come away with the result, " said the Manchester United manager. "Wayne's second-half performance, and the whole 90 minutes, he was right back to his best. He and Saha were a real handful.

There were some signs he was coming back and the two internationals have helped to bring him to the right pitch and we saw that today."

Wigan boss Paul Jewell admitted his side had been outplayed after the interval.

"You've got to give credit where credit is due, " Jewell said. "They battered us in the second half. We sat too deep and it's a bit concerning that we folded so easily."