Wigan boss Paul Jewell felt his side had been full value for their narrow victory.
The Latics boss admitted there may have been a touch of good fortune over the winning goal but felt his side deserved a break.
He said: "They made it difficult for us and got a lot of men behind the ball.
"Roy Evans would probably argue that it wasn't a free-kick but then I would argue that we should have had a penalty in the first-half.
"We played well and started passing the ball around well. We showed a bit more confidence and that grew as the game went on.
"At half-time we said that if we kept passing the ball around and creating chances then an opportunity would come and that's what happened."
Jewell praised the impact of Paul Cook, who returned to the club he began his career with.
It was Cook who netted the 69th minute free kick that secured the three points for the Latics.
Jewell said: "He has been a First Division player for the past couple of years and he brings a lot of calmness to the place."
Jewell said his team were growing in confidence, having stretched their unbeaten run to four matches.
He said: "We played great against Stoke City a few weeks ago but today was a different kind of victory and it gave me immense pleasure."
"I was watching Manchester United on television earlier and they were unrecognisable because of the lack of confidence.
"Confidence can be everything. If you don't have it, life can be very difficult."
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