Martinez faith in beautiful game pays off for Latics

Roberto Martinez was always confident Wigan could play their way to safety in the Barclays Premier League.

The Latics find themselves five points clear of the bottom three following four wins in their last five matches after adding a 2-1 victory at Arsenal on Monday night to memorable triumphs at Anfield and over leaders Manchester United.

It is some turnaround in fortunes, with Wigan having plummeted to the foot of the table following a run of eight consecutive defeats from mid-September to early November — which were followed by four on the spin in January.