Wigan failed to capitalise on their recent run of good form with a close fought home defeat to a resilient West Bromwich Albion. Throughout the 95 minutes Wigan had the majority of possession but the Baggies secured the three points with some ruthless counter attacking.

Wigan confidently controlled the first 30 minutes with some great passing but without  creating any clear goalscoring chances. West Brom had been pegged back in their own defensive third and were denied the opportunity to get on the ball.

But against the run of play it was the Baggies who took the lead on 31 minutes when James Morrison met a powerful whipped cross by Chris Brunt to head past Ali Al Habsi.

This was a shock to Wigan who had seemingly been in control, but things got worse on 43 minutes when Billy Jones cross cum shot was deflected into his own net via Wigan captain Gary Caldwell.

The home side did show good resilience by pulling a goal back one minute later when Jean Beausejour produced a good low cross to the far post and Arouna Kone slotted home.

The quick response augured well for the second half, particularly as Wigan had been the dominant force. But the second half did not pan out as the Wigan fans might have hoped. It was a frustrating second period for the Latics and despite once again having the greater possession they failed to capitalise on their opportunities.

Wigan did have good opportunities when Franco Di Santo superbly set up Shaun Maloney, but from a central position the Scottish midfielder fired over the cross-bar. Then probably the best opportunity came when Jean Beausejour’s cross found Di Santo unmarked but the Argentine striker only headed the ball into team-mate Kone and over the bar.

West Brom continued to pose a threat on the counter attack and Ali Al Habsi produced a world-class save to tip Lukaku’s attempt from 12 yards over the bar.

Despite a frantic final five minutes, as Wigan desperately searched for the equaliser, the  Baggies held on to take all three points and move up to fifth place in the Premier League table. This is probably the best West Brom team seen at the DW stadium in recent years and if they continue to play in this fashion they will not be far away from a Europa Cup spot.

Overall West Brom had been resilient in defence and ruthless on the counter attack whereas Wigan had the greater possession but just lacked the killer touch. Wigan fans should not be too despondent however, as they will not come up against a team in such great form every week.