SAINTS fans rejoiced as Wigan Athletic defeated runaway Premier League leaders Manchester City in the FA Cup fifth-round.

It means Mauricio Pellegrino's men will play the League One high fliers in the quarter-finals next month rather than Pep Guardiola's frighteningly good side, who were targeting a quadruple of trophies before the shock Latics defeat.

Certainly, playing against a team from the third-tier is preferable to playing the champions-elect.

But Saints should be careful not to be cocksure about this last eight tie.

City will be Wigan's biggest scalp of the competition, undoubtedly, but Paul Cook, the former Portsmouth manager, has already led his side to victory over two other Premier League sides.

Their hat-trick of top-flight scalps have all come at their DW Stadium lair, where Saints will travel on the weekend of 16-19 of March.

Wigan, who defeated Manchester City in the 2013 FA Cup final, put Bournemouth to the sword 3-0 in their third round replay in January.

The Cherries went down without a fight at the DW, as Wigan took the game to Eddie Howe's men.

It came after Cook's men narrowly missed out on victory at the Vitality Stadium, where a late Steve Cook goal spared Bournemouth's blushes in a 2-2 draw and set up the replay.

Wigan followed the Cherries victory up by cruising past West Ham 2-0 in the fourth-round at the end of last month.

The Latics are brimming with confidence and used to winning – something lower Premier League teams have just not been able to cope with and this has also, amazingly, taken them past City too.

Wigan have lost just five times in 30 League One games, conceded just 18 goals – the best defensive record in the third tier, and have lost twice at home in 22 games in all competitions.

As Saints can attest from their rise through the ranks from League One, that confidence, momentum and winning feeling can take a team a long way.

Pellegrino's side have struggled with confidence all season and have not yet come up against a team building such strong momentum in the FA Cup.

They've beaten Premier League bottom-half side Watford and fellow relegation zone outfit West Brom, as well as scraping past Championship Fulham in the third-round 1-0.

Saints must now prepare for a big fight at Wigan. It won't be easy, but it isn't City and that gives them a chance.

However, it might not be straightforward.