Huddersfield Town 0-2 Wigan Athletic: Visitors ease relegation fears with win
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Anthony Pilkington's second-half strike was his third goal in 15 league games this season
Wigan Athletic pulled three points clear from the Championship relegation zone as they defeated fellow strugglers Huddersfield Town at the John Smith's Stadium.
Jamal Lowe put the hosts ahead, chesting in Kiefer Moore's cross which was deflected into his path by Harry Toffolo.
There was another deflection in the build-up to the second away goal as Anthony Pilkington doubled their lead against his former club when his shot cannoned off Lewis O'Brien and into the net.
Huddersfield could not find a way through Latics goalkeeper David Marshall, who made superb saves to keep out a close-range Christopher Schindler header and a powerful Toffolo shot late on.
The result moves Wigan up to 17th in the Championship table, while the Terriers drop to 20th just one point and two places above the bottom three.
Prior to kick-off, there was pre-match applause in recognition of the National Health Service and front line workers' efforts in dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic, before the players took a knee in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
The game was one of a number of fixtures to be hit by a technical issue meaning that some fans missed the start of the match on the English Football League's iFollow streaming service.
Robinson revels in Wigan return
The visitors welcomed back defender Antonee Robinson following treatment on a heart issue.
The 22-year-old had been poised to make a seven-figure deadline day move from the Latics to Serie A side AC Milan in January, but an irregular heart rhythm showed up during his medical and he has since had further tests and treatment.
Robinson shored up the Wigan defence, which was without Chey Dunkley, Leon Balogun and Dujon Sterling, with an admirable performance and ensured the Latics kept a clean sheet.
Huddersfield's frailties exposed
Jamal Lowe's first-half strike was just his second in 38 Championship appearances this season
Before Covid-19 halted the football calendar, Wigan had turned around their form around and began to move away from the bottom three and from the threat of relegation back to the third tier for the third time in five years.
Huddersfield's situation and form - despite being ahead of their opponents - perhaps looked starker before the break, however, as they hovered above the drop zone due to their inconsistent form.
Town boss Danny Cowley described the delayed end-of-season run-in as a 'mini season' ahead of the restart, but it started badly against the Latics.
Lowe's opener and Pilkington's clinching second exposed the defensive frailties of a team which have kept just eight clean sheets from 39 games in all competitions so far this term.
In May, the club's chairman Phil Hodgkinson warned "50 or 60" clubs could go bust due to the financial impact of coronavirus and Cowley will have much to think about from his side's performance if they are to avoid the further blow of a second relegation in as many seasons.
Huddersfield Town boss Danny Cowley told BBC Radio Leeds: "We're bitterly disappointed with the levels of our performance. We worked very hard in the lead up to this game and we didn't get value for our hard work and that's tough to take.
"We'll go back and watch it back but we wanted to play with power and aggression and intensity and we didn't do that. We wanted to be dynamic and we weren't.
"I don't think it's time for excuses. I don't like to make them. They're for weak people and I don't think anyone wants to hear them."
Wigan Athletic manager Paul Cook told BBC Radio Manchester: "The reality is it's just about the points on the board now and while clean sheets are great, the brutal reality we've got to get more points.
"I'd rather look forward than back. If we've been on a great run, it doesn't mean we're going to stay on a great run.
"The challenge for us now it train hard, recover. We've got to make sure we look after our lads and keep believing in what we're doing."