Latics 3-0 Sunderland! - First half goal from Heskey, and two spot kicks from Landzaat and Sibierski send Latics to top of the league

Wigan made it two wins on the trot after beating Roy Keane's Sunderland 3-0 at the JJB Stadium. It was a confident performance by Chris Hutching's men who certainly looked every bit of an established Premiership team. The victory also meant Latics went top of the Premiership on goal difference, at least for a day or so until Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City play their matches on Sunday.

Latics took the lead in the first half thanks to a well taken goal by Emile Heskey in the 19th minute. Antonio Valencia strided towards the penalty box in plenty of space and his low cross was tucked away neatly by Heskey to send the ball into the far corner past £9million goalkeeper Craig Gordon.

The lead was the doubled just after the hour mark Black Cats substitute Danny Collins dragged Antonie Sibierski down in the penalty box and Denny Landzaat sent Gordon the wrong way from the spot kick to double the lead.

Substitute Russell Anderson was also guilty of giving away another penalty just eight minutes later when he hacked down Heskey in the box, and referee Mike Riley had no hesitation in pointing to the spot. Antonie Sibierksi stepped up and rifled the ball down the centre of the net past Gordon for his third goal in as many games.

The match was evenly contested up until Latics broke the deadlock in the first half, but once the lead was taken, Latics went from strength to strength as they pressured the Wearsiders for the rest of the game.

Hutchings' men had two other penalty claims in the first half but Riley did not believe they were warranted. In the third minute Heskey fell under Paul McShane's challenge, who had his arm around the Latics hit man, and in the 22nd Koumas was brought down by Halford.

Wigan searched for a second goal before the break, and had chances to get it too. Heskey was denied a brilliant goal five minutes before the half-time whistle as his header was tipped away from a Koumas set piece. That was the closest Latics went after Captain Mario Melchiot headed over the bar from a Koumas corner, and Valencia also drove over the bar from twenty-five yards in the 26th minute.

Roy Keane's Sunderland struggled to stamp their authority on the game once Latics went ahead, but they almost took the lead themselves when in the 13th minute when Michael Chopra saw his free-kick tipped over by Kirkland, and just after the half-hour mark Daryl Murphy's shot from close range was parried away by Kirkland.

Swedish defender Andreas Granqvist was in the right place at the right time early in the second half as he blocked a fierce Ross Wallace shot from the right side of the box, but other than that it proved to be a quiet second half for Kirkland.

LATICS: Kirkland; Melchiot (c), Bramble, Granqvist, Kilbane; Valencia, Landzaat, Scharner (Brown 84), Koumas; Sibierski(Aghahowa 76), Heskey (Folan 78).

UNUSED SUBS: Pollitt, Hall.

GOALS: Heskey 19, Landzaat 60p, Sibierski 68p

SUNDERLAND: Gordon; Halford, Nosworthy, McShane (Anderson 63), Richardson; Stokes (Collins 46), Etuhu, Yorke (Miller 46), Wallace; Murphy, Chopra.

UNUSED SUBS: Anderson, John, Connolly.

BOOKED: Etuhu, Collins

REFEREE: Mike Riley