Mark Hughes has delivered just what Saints needed in his first week in charge.

The tone of positivity and confidence in his opening press conference was like a breath of fresh air. That he gave the same sort of message to the players was similarly what they needed to hear.

Hughes then backed that up with his first team selection at Wigan.

Mauricio Pellegrino had always resisted calls to play two up front and, latterly, had even worked in training on playing Manolo Gabbiadini off of Guido Carrillo.

But when it came to the crunch he thought better of it and went safety first.

Alright this was a one-off FA Cup match, and so there wasn’t too much to lose first out for Hughes, but that he was prepared to step onto the front foot and picked them up front together certainly sent a message.

He has already said he wants wins. Obvious, perhaps, but still there was a feeling that Pellegrino at times started with the mindset of wanting to avoid defeat.

On top of all that, Saints got only a ninth victory of their campaign, and the small matter of an FA Cup semi-final spot at Wembley.

Even Hughes can surely allow himself a moment to sit back and reflect how much has happened in the space of just a week.

That Saints had to fight for their win at Wigan was probably also something of a bonus for Hughes and the team.

Not only can a performance like that help to galvanize the squad, as well as injecting a small sense of momentum and a bit of that notorious bounce effect ahead of the resumption of Premier League action, it also showed they are prepared to roll up their sleeves, something much needed after the horror showing at Newcastle.

It was tricky conditions for both teams, and Wigan handled it better in the first half.

Though Saints did generally contain them fairly well, they were perhaps a bit too deep and allowed the Latics a bit too much time to control the ball at the back and build play.

It wasn’t entirely unexpected, given that Wigan are used to winning matches as they ride high in League One while Saints have struggled all season and are in a relegation scrap, albeit in the Premier League.

Also, Saints were getting used to playing 4-4-2, a formation that you sense will suit their survival battle well, given it will likely bring one thing they have desperately lacked all season – goals.

The fact Wigan led the corner count 10-0 at the break and Saints hadn’t had a shot on target was an indication that the home side were the aggressors before the break.

Despite that, Saints were still solid enough to limit them to not an awful lot in front of goal.

Chey Dunkley might have connected when the ball broke to him in the area, Gary Roberts had half a chance but lifted his effort over the bar while Alex McCarthy had to turn over Max Power’s corner that was heading in.

The second half was a very different story as Saints made their top-flight superiority tell.

They pinned Wigan back as some much-needed intensity seeped into their game, and they were a constant threat.

Suddenly the gulf in league positions was clear, and Saints could have won by even more than they eventually did.

Gabbiadini had a great chance on 58 minutes as a misdirected back pass from Wigan defender Nathan Byrne picked out the Saints striker on his own in the area by the penalty spot. He should have produced a better finish but credit still went to Wigan keeper Christian Walton for getting out to save.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg worked Walton again four minutes later with a header from a corner before putting Saints ahead.

This time he met Dusan Tadic’s set-piece with a first time left footed shot that went in through a group of players.

Gabbiadini might have all but wrapped things up on 73 minutes when he had the chance to score from the penalty spot after being brought down by Dan Burn following a wonderful through ball from Nathan Redmond.

The Italian struck his spot kick well, but Walton made a terrific save diving to his left to deny him.

If there was a sense at the DW Stadium that Wigan’s marvellous FA Cup run, which had already claimed three Premier League scalps, including Manchester City, was about to continue, Saints did a great job of extinguishing hope.

They controlled most of the remainder of the game, continued to press Wigan back, and eventually got an injury time second to put the icing on the cake.

Redmond’s pass deflected up and Cedric Soares, who found himself on the left wing, headed the ball into his path, pressed into the area, and showed great composure to open up his body and slot the ball into the far corner.

While the Premier League is the priority for Saints this season, the FA Cup has been not only a handy distraction, but provided a much needed lift during a tough campaign.

Now it has yielded what will be a memorable day out to Wembley, a step nearer some glory and, if nothing else, the perfect launchpad for Hughes’ Saints reign.