Wigan Athletic arrived at the Emirates Stadium last night with an air of confidence and self-belief, fresh from their FA Cup heroics on Saturday against the mighty Manchester City. They upset the favorites 1-0 and won the trophy against all the odds.

As they were on a high in the cup competition, they were struggling to cope in the league as they were on the verge of relegation prior to yesterday’s game. They needed six points to avoid the drop. Nothing less than two victories in their last two games would ensure their safety in England’s premier competition.

However, they were welcomed by a determined Arsenal side who themselves had their own targets to chase. As Wigan aimed at survival, Arsenal were going for a top 4 finish, and were chasing 3 valuable points at home. The Gunners got what they wanted and that too in some style, brushing aside Wigan’s challenge and winning the game 4-1.

The loss confirmed Wigan’s relegation and ended an eight-year association between Wigan and their status as a club in the English Premier League. Manager Roberto Martinez, who has been the reason behind Wigan’s flair and fearless style of football was sadly not able to steer his club to safety this time around after flirting with danger on numerous occasions in previous seasons. He was not lucky this time around as this was just not his year.

Wenger spoke to Sky Sports post the game and though he was delighted to end Arsenal’s home campaign with a convincing win, he admitted that he was sorry to see Wigan face the drop. He said, “You want to congratulate Wigan and you feel sorry for them, because with the quality of football they play it is sad that they go down.”

“Wigan are a good footballing side with intelligent players and it is difficult to understand, but that is the harsh truth of the game.”

With the FA Cup champions now playing in the Championship, do you see Martinez’s men gain immediate promotion to their home of the last 8 years, the English Premier League?