Wigan Athletic 3 Aston Villa 2
David O'Leary scotched a couple of myths with the weekend win over Birmingham City which not only kept him in his job but earned him a new reputation as a derby specialist.
Another myth bit the bullet last night as O'Leary's Aston Villa proved they can serve up entertaining football even if, sadly, it was at the cost of a fifth successive away defeat.
In the end, two-goal Henri Camara completed a Wigan Athletic double over Villa. O'Leary's men, not yet mathematically safe, probably need to win their final two home matches to avoid finishing with their worst total of Premiership points in a campaign.
But, for any neutrals at the JJB it was great fun to watch.
Wigan were determined than ever to end their first top-flight season in the top half, despite a run of only three league wins in their previous 15 games.
O'Leary was forced to make one change, rookie Craig Gardner slotting into central midfield in place of the hamstrung Steven Davis. He put likely summer departee Juan Pablo Angel in the shop window.
That meant Jlloyd Samuel, who had given a battling performance against Blues, keeping his shirt, as did Gary Cahill. But, in the continued, surprisingly lengthy absence of captain Olof Mellberg, young Cahill found this nowhere near as pleasant an experience as Sunday.
Villa started brightly enough, Gardner almost releasing two-goal derby hero Milan Baros before skipper Gareth Barry tested home keeper John Filan with a hooked scissors kick over his shoulder after being set up by James Milner.
But they were stung on 25 minutes when Henri Camara's cross was cleared by Cahill's acrobatic clearance, only as far as Jimmy Bullard, who ripped a dream of a 25-yard right-foot volley into the top right corner. Astonishingly, given the quality of the strike, it was his first goal in five months.
Reto Ziegler's left-foot screamer went just over but Villa finished the half strongly, with two missed openings.
Leighton Baines' intervention proved enough just when Ridgewell looked set to do a 'Cahill' at the near post. Then Barry and Baros set up Angel who wanted too many touches, allowing himself to be robbed by Pascal Chimbonda.
O'Leary opted to switch Barry inside to central mid-field in place of Gardner at the break, to inject the pace of teenage flier Gabriel Agbonlahor down the left. After Albion old boy Jason Roberts had twice tested Thomas Sorensen, it brought its reward when Angel levelled.
His only previous away goal for Villa this season had come ten miles up the road at the Reebok. Baros and Agbonlahor combined for him to stab home from five yards.
Villa's joy was lasted only three minutes.
Camara cut in from the left past Cahill to fire in a low shot which went under a disappointed Sorensen. He struck again three minutes later when Cahill's attempted clearance fell to him to fire in from close range.
A furious Baros then somehow failed to make a connection with a slightly overhit pass from an equally unimpressed Angel before Camara went so close to a six-minute hat-trick, denied only by Ridgewell's superb challenge. But the young defender was not finished there.
Barry cut in to float over a left-foot cross which was deflected off Damien Francis, Ridgewell beat the offside trap and, although he fired straight at Filan, the ball slipped under him and
dribbled over the line. Ridgewell headed Barry's cross across the face of goal and when Filan made another Horlicks of trying to stop Angel's shot, the ball bounced just over the bar by inches.
