There could be no objection to a repeat here where a devastating attack display produced a hat-trick for Luis Suárez and a clean sheet for Pepe Reina. The only mockery on offer was talk of Roberto Martínez's side being equipped to ease away from relegation again.
Liverpool were dominant from start to finish as Suárez took his tally for the season to 28, aided and abetted by a woeful Wigan display. This was such a procession the travelling support found time to chant support for their former manager Rafael Benítez and to show their disdain for his current employers at Stamford Bridge.
Wigan could have been ahead inside the opening minute but spent the rest of the evening rueing Arouna Koné's failure to beat Reina or set up Franco Di Santo from an Emmerson Boyce cross as Liverpool scored from their first attack. The visitors sliced through the defence far too easily, and Wigan's prospects of recording a third home win of the season deflated rapidly. Philippe Coutinho was the architect as he collected Reina's long clearance, left Boyce trailing and floated a perfect cross over Wigan's central defenders. Stewart Downing was lurking behind and planted a header wide of Ali al-Habsi.
As poor as Wigan were, and they were hopeless, Liverpool deserve credit for forcing countless mistakes from their opponents through constant harrying of the home defence. As soon as Gary Caldwell or Paul Scharner took possession from Habsi they had Suárez, Coutinho, Downing or Steven Gerrard for company and, with the notable exception of Di Santo, the Wigan display was littered with stray passes and loose first touches. Their central midfield of James McCarthy and James McArthur were lost against Liverpool's three and it was a surprise that Martínez never reacted as his wide men, Shaun Maloney and Jean Beausejour, were rarely involved.
It required a desperate challenge from Maynor Figueroa to stop Gerrard latching on to Joe Allen's pass into the area but Liverpool's second was not long in coming. Again Coutinho was at the heart of the goal, this time taking Gerrard's pass, beating McArthur and threading a perfect ball between Caldwell and Boyce for Suárez to advance on goal. Liverpool's leading striker waited for Habsi to commit himself, then found the near corner.
The Oman goalkeeper's 100th appearance for Wigan proved memorable for all the wrong reasons. Liverpool made the contest safe with their third when Suárez scored his second with almost an hour remaining. Fouled by Caldwell, the Uruguay international picked himself up to find the bottom corner of Habsi's goal from the resulting free-kick via a deflection off Maloney's shoulder and the post.
In spite of their hapless performance Wigan did have chances to disrupt Liverpool's momentum but, in Reina, faced a goalkeeper in commanding form. He made three stunning saves before the interval to prevent Boyce hooking a volley into the top corner, Di Santo scoring with a close range header and Beausejour converting a free-kick from 20 yards.
Suárez could have had his hat-trick, and number 28, in the first half but had to wait four minutes into the second for the inevitable to arrive. Wigan restarted with urgency and were promptly picked off as Glen Johnson waltzed past three lame challenges and sent the striker through on goal. Despite Scharner diving at his heels, Suárez held his aim and nutmegged Habsi.