SO the curse goes on and City still search for their first win over Wigan in the Premier League in seven attempts.

Quite how they didn't manage to take something from this contest will forever remain a mystery though their first-half willingness to trade punches with the home side and an over-casual air on the ball might have had a significant influence.

The visitors could also justifiably point to some terrible refereeing by Steve Bennett - some of it was hard to respect - and the fact that they were denied a clearer penalty than the one that went the way of Wigan.

However, in the final analysis full credit must go to an opposition that literally rolled over on many occasions but metaphorically refused to buckle to the Blues attacking hordes.

Wigan boss Steve Bruce spent some of the build up to the encounter describing how his side would have to shut down the individual brilliance of Hughes' men and the Latics took him at his word chasing and harrying to perfection.

Worried

So well did they protect their lead that despite their welter of possession in the second-half, City only sporadically worried Chris Kirkland.

Wigan will trouble plenty of the top sides this season if they can reach this kind of high octane level.

City boss Mark Hughes, still reeling from the midweek Carling Cup calamity at Brighton, went back to the side that won in Cyprus in the UEFA Cup and then demolished Portsmouth.

It was a risky policy for although it is an 11 brimming with attacking vim and vigour, it does on occasion leave the back four exposed.

Counterpart Steve Bruce, who had a much more serene midweek seeing his side earn a fourth round tie with Arsenal's youth team by breezing past Ipswich at Portman Road, stuck largely with the side that had ground out a 0-0 draw at Spurs in its previous Premier League outing with only Olivier Kapo and Lee Cattermole coming back into the side.

It is to the English top flight's great credit that it has such diversity of teams on offer though the purists would lament the widening gap between the haves and the have nots.

Latics owner Dave Whelan, despite his pre-match comments based upon the early takeover rantings of Sulaiman Al-Fahim and not the more considered words of the Sheikh and his new chairman, ought to be given every award Wigan can summon up for what he has achieved with a superbly run football club that, compared to its rich Manchester and Merseyside neighbours, operates on a shoestring.

Satisfying

On any Premier League menu the Latics and City are now suddenly as different as meat pies and caviar but the beauty of the game is that both can be enjoyed fully and can be equally satisfying depending on the 'diner's' mood.

There was certainly a fulsome flavour about the clashes between Robinho and Mario Melchiot and the equally palatable collision between Cattermole and Stevie Ireland though it was all quiet on the benches where there may still be some lingering resentment over Mark Bowen's switch from Steve Bruce's side to that of Mark Hughes.

But the dish of the day was Ecuadorian in the shape of Antonio Valencia who provided the most stunning highlight, a 25-yard drive that opened the scoring. He also displayed a keen willingness to chase everything in an opposition shirt.

Under the gaze of City scoring legend Shaun Goater, not too popular in these parts thanks to his play-off heroics way back when, and Ireland boss Giovanni Trapattoni, who was here to check primarily on Ireland - a player whom he would dearly like to persuade back into the fold following his voluntary international exile - City began smoothly enough without ever finding their quickest rhythm.

They were rocked onto their heels by Valencia's goal though Robinho ought to have levelled within two minutes when put through the middle by Ireland. He dragged his shot inches wide of the near post.

Still it didn't take long for the equaliser to arrive. When Shaun Wright-Phillips was dumped on his backside close to the touchline by Maynor Figueroa, Elano curled in a low free-kick and Vincent Kompany touched home his first for the club.

Stupendous

Wigan, though, were soon back in front when Honduran Wilson Palacios had the bridge of his foot touched by the retreating Javier Garrido and then produced a swallow dive containing such a stupendous arc that it would have made teenage Olympic diver Tom Daley proud.

The Wigan man's attempt to fly without the aid of an aeroplane brought a penalty that was tucked way by Amr Zaki.

Referee Bennett, one of the more theatrical and inconsistent of his brethren, could and should have equalled the penalty count up in the 43rd minute when Heskey shoved Dunne at a corner but instead gave a free- kick to Wigan to further enrage the away bench and fans.

The Kent official then added to his list of perceived misdemeanours by not allowing any of the minute's injury time he had indicated. It is to be hoped he got to his room and bolted the door before an enraged Hughes got there.

Still the City chief should have retained some of his ire for his own players who could never lift the tempo to a high enough level in the second-half and, despite overwhelming possession, failed to grab a point.