Wigan Athletic 1-0 Huddersfield Town: Jack Whatmough's late goal gives Latics vital win over Terriers
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Jack Whatmough's goal was his second for Wigan in his 71st league appearance for the Latics
Jack Whatmough's late winner ended Wigan's dismal run and lifted them off the bottom of the Championship in the meeting of two relegation strugglers.
The centre-back rose at the far post to head in James McClean's 82nd-minute corner to secure the Latics' first win in nine league games and hand new manager Shaun Maloney a big boost.
Maloney had taken charge for a battling goalless draw at Blackburn on Monday night, following the sacking of Kolo Toure, and his team made it four points from two games.
The defeat continued managerless Huddersfield's poor run. Having sacked Mark Fotheringham on Wednesday after 21 games in charge, the Terriers are second bottom - only kept off the foot of the table by goal difference - and now winless in six league games.
Both sides had strong penalty shouts in a tense and tight affair.
On-loan Fulham forward Anthony Knockaert had his foot stood on by Charlie Hughes at one end, and then Callum Lang's header struck the arm of Josh Ruffels at the other, only for referee Gavin Ward to be unmoved on both occasions.
With the game moving towards a goalless draw, Whatmough scored his first goal of the season in what he had described earlier in the week as "the biggest game" of his life.
Huddersfield had suffered an early blow when Ollie Turton was forced off with a knee injury, but looked most likely to break the deadlock as lively winger Joseph Hungbo gave Wigan problems down their left side.
He skipped past defender Ryan Nyambe and fired in a shot from a tight angle that was beaten away by Ben Amos, and also dipped a free-kick over the wall to force the Wigan keeper into action once more.
The hosts lacked punch up front, with their only effort on target being Whatmough's winner.
But after succeeding Toure - sacked after failing to win any of his nine games in charge - Maloney has already sparked an upturn in fortunes.
Wigan manager Shaun Maloney:
"I guess the result was all important today. Obviously you're really aware of the situation, but in terms of the work we put in, and how we prepared, I hope we took the pressure off the players.
"The performance, probably, was similar from both teams, they were possibly a bit more dominant in the first half, we were a bit more dominant in the second.
"I definitely felt the momentum switch after half-time, and I'm just really pleased for the players.
"It gives them belief and a bit more confidence that this is possible."
Huddersfield interim manager Narcis Pelach told BBC Radio Leeds:
"There's disappointment because the second half was no good. It was not what we wanted to do, we lost control and didn't have the ball enough.
"The percentage of possession in the second half was very poor. We had no shots in the second half, no attacking, so if we want to win games we have to attack better.
"In the first half we were good enough without being exceptional. We had passes, tried to have possession and tried to have a presence in the opponents' half, but in the second half we lost control after maybe 10 minutes and were just defending.
"We tried to come back to a back five to defend their crosses, but then we conceded at a set-piece. The concentration was not good enough in that situation, and it's unacceptable.
"There are 16 games to go and we have to react, and react quickly."