Strikes from Emile Heskey, Henri Camara, Antonio Valencia and an own-goal from Richard Dunne completed a desperate day for Stuart Pearce's men.

City have now won just once away from home since December, picked up one point from five games on their travels this season, been dumped out of the Carling Cup by Chesterfield and were condemned by their own supporters in the most forceful manner imaginable by the end of this game.

Only 63 seconds were on the clock when Emmerson Boyce strode down the right flank after a neat four-man move, then sent over the low cross which Heskey sent flying into the top corner with a well-struck volley that gave Nicky Weaver no chance.

There was little Weaver could do about Wigan's second, which followed just four minutes later, as City skipper Richard Dunne suffered the kind of lapse in concentration which happens all too regularly for someone of his stature. Weaver was coming to collect under no pressure when Josip Skoko drifted a free-kick deep into the Blues area. Yet the keeper was staggered to see Dunne not only appear in front of him but land his header in an unguarded net.

For a while, City at least gave them reason to hope but, with Heskey starring in defence to stop Dunne scoring at the other end, their efforts proved to be in vain.

And, once referee Phil Dowd had ruled Leighton Baines had not deliberately handled Paul Dickov's cross inside his own area after an hour, the catastrophe continued. Baines' forceful burst into the box went unchallenged, allowing him to square Kevin Kilbane's pass to the edge of the six-yard area. Stephen Jordan fatally hesitated as he lined up his clearance and eventually succeeded only in blasting against Henri Camara, who had closed him down and was rewarded with his second of the campaign. Within two minutes, Wigan had another, Heskey teeing up Antonio Valencia, who fired clinically into the corner.

Even with 11 senior players injured and 18-year-old Michael Johnson making his debut, sympathy for the Blues was in short supply from their long-suffering fans. With the exception of Dunne, Johnson and Joey Barton, the fight wilted away from the visiting ranks and it was only because Wigan took their foot off the gas the final margin of victory was not even greater.