Unbeaten streaks aren't worth much if you're only earning one point against the teams you're supposed to beat.  For 80 minutes, it looked like that would be the result of this clash (and honestly, Wigan looked better than their record indicates).  Alan Pardew kept the same Starting XI that he'd named for the previous four matches, and who can blame him?  Still, after a half of uninspiring football, he subbed Hatem Ben Arfa for Leon Best, and the game opened up for Newcastle.  The transformation would be complete when Sylvain Marveaux came on for the clearly struggling Gabriel Obertan. 

In the 81st minute, Newcastle broke through when Ryan Taylor placed an accurate cross on the chest of Sylvain Marveaux.  Marveaux found Yohan Cabaye on the edge of the box and for once his deadly shot was not blocked on the way to goal.  That was all the Toon would need, and they certainly played well enough to earn the win.

That's not to say that there wasn't anything positive on the other side.  Wigan played solid defense most of the match, led by goalkeeper Ali Al-Habsi, who was perfectly positioned to stop a goalward Demba Ba header, and holding midfielder Ben Watson, who played directly in front of the back four and made several timely challenges.  On the other side of the ball, Mohamed Diame was the source of all of Wigan's creativity, making Cheik Tiote look foolish more than once.  A draw would not have been an unfair result, but a lack of finishing (and let's not forget Tim Krul's early diving miracle stop) will continue to be the story of the Latics' season.

A win in what many were calling a trap game?  Feels good, man.  The dream season continues.