Mark Hughes won his first game in charge of Southampton as the Saints beat Wigan Athletic 2-0 in the sixth round of the FA Cup at the DW Stadium this afternoon.
It had looked like an inspired Wigan side might just earn progression into the semi-finals with a valiant home display, but Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg's first goal for Southampton in the second half proved to be too much for Paul Cook's charges, who then suffered a late blow when Cedric added a second during injury time.
© Offside
The Latics started the encounter with real endeavour, and they might have grabbed a lead inside 14 minutes when the hosts broke to feed leading cup scorer Will Grigg, who soon saw his shot deflected away before it could test Alex McCarthy.
At times it was difficult to tell who exactly represented the Premier League in the contest, as Mario Lemina was robbed before seeing Gavin Massey's effort turned away for a corner.
The resulting set piece soon found its way out to Nathan Byrne and he sent in a delivery across the face of goal, where defender Chey Dunkley was just a whisker away from getting a vital toe on the ball to prod it home.
Saints offered very little in the first half and their best chance perhaps fell to Lamina, who benefited from some positive work from Dusan Tadic, only to bend his shot over without challenging Christian Walton.
Cook's men continued to show danger signs and they were unlucky not to break the deadlock in the 20th minute, but veteran Gary Roberts opted for an ill-advised chipped finish when he was picked out by Grigg's knockdown in the centre of the box.
The hosts' growing positivity was almost to prove vital just before the break when youngster Michael Jacobs beat Cedric for pace, although Grigg could not anticipate the resulting cross and the ball flashed beyond the striker before he could react.
Byrne was exceptional at right-back but his blushes were spared in the second half when his poor back-pass put Manolo Gabbiadini clean through on goal, leaving Walton to make a remarkable save with an outstretched leg.
The visitors sensed an opportunity to turn the screw and they took the lead after 62 minutes, when Hojbjerg profited from a Tadic corner and was able to flick the ball home from close range despite the presence of Dan Burn on the line.
Wigan's early exploits started to have an impact on their energy in the latter stages and they were undone when a tiring Burn brought Gabbiadini down inside the box, although Walton somehow kept the tie alive for the final 15 minutes with a memorable save to keep out the Italian's penalty.
The stop proved to be a minor catalyst for Wigan as they threw the kitchen sink forward during the dying embers, but they were unable to find an equaliser to prevent them from falling short during an outstanding run in the cup.
The hosts' grief was compounded during injury time too, as Soares broke free on the counter in order to add Southampton's second of the game and finally bring a confident smile to the faces of the travelling supporters in Greater Manchester.
Having collected a win at the first time of asking as manager of the Saints, Hughes will now await the semi-final draw later today with Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United having already booked their places in the last four.
WIGAN ATHLETIC (4-2-3-1): Walton; Byrne (Hunt 80'), Elder, Dunkley, Burn; Morsy, Power; Massey (Powell 66'), Roberts (Colclough 66'), Jacobs; Grigg
SOUTHAMPTON (4-4-2): McCarthy; Cedric, Stephens, Hoedt, Bertrand; Hojbjerg, Lemina, Tadic, Boufal (Redmond 65'); Carrillo (Long 81'), Gabbiadini (Romeu 87')
Christopher Dodd
