Holders Manchester United ensured the Emirates FA Cup fourth round weekend would not end with another upset as they saw off Wigan Athletic at Old Trafford.
In a round which saw several higher level teams slip up, and Lincoln and Sutton United ensure there would be two non-league teams in the last 16 of the competition for the first time since the foundation of the Football League in 1888, the Red Devils were looking for a relatively safe passage.
Championship side Wigan, led by former Manchester United reserve team manager Warren Joyce, held their opponents at bay for 44 minutes before Marouane Fellaini grabbed the opener.
Chris Smalling headed in Anthony Martial’s cross on 57 minutes before the hosts added a third through Henrikh Mkhitaryan on 74 minutes.
Bastian Schweinsteiger then completed the scoring with a close-range finish ten minutes before the end.
The 12-time champions are aiming to become only the sixth team to retain the Emirates FA Cup and manager Mourinho was left reflecting on a job well done.
“We deserved to win,” he said. “The first half was not very good but we managed to be 1-0 in front and then at half-time we spoke and changed a few things in the dynamic of the team.
“The guys accepted it well and the second half was much better and we deserved to win and we are in the last 16.
“We knew Warren would organise the team defensively very well, be compact and with aggression.
“To break that wall we knew we needed to play better than we did in the first half but we were quite lucky to be 1-0 up and then in the second half, with more space, we killed the game.
“The performance of the team was good enough, individually they were good enough, obviously some better than others but in general they were good.”
The hosts almost opened the scoring on 31 minutes when Timothy Fosu-Mensah sent in an inviting cross but Mkhitaryan sliced wide.
But Fellaini showed him how it was done shortly before the interval when he rose highest to head in Schweinsteiger’s ball.
Wigan’s David Perkins drilled in a shot from the edge of the area after the break following a defensive mix up but Sergio Romero eventually cleared.
And from then on, United were able to control the game – Martial recycling the ball from a corner for Smalling to head in a second.
The third goal came from a slick counter attack with Schweinsteiger clearing a Wigan corner to Wayne Rooney who laid the ball to Mkhitaryan to score after a one-two with Martial.
And the fourth arrived on 80 minutes as the impressive Schweinsteiger hooked in after Ander Herrera had headed on a corner.
Wigan manager Joyce said: “In the first half we gave as good as we got and had the best opportunities. The game-plan was working, so we are disappointed to lose.
"We had good chances, the best chances really, certainly up to half-time. The timing of the first goal was unfortunate, then straight after the break we concede another poor goal.
“It was bread and butter stuff, we deal with those balls week in week out, two headers at the back post.
“After that you can forget about the game, we were just chasing and were opening up. The only emotion is disappointment."
Manchester United: 20 Romero, 24 Fosu-Mensah, 12 Smalling, 5 Rojo, 23 Shaw, 27 Fellaini, 31 Schweinsteiger, 22 Mkhitaryan, 8 Mata, 11 Martial, 10 Rooney.
Substitutes: 38 Tuanzebe for Fosu-Mensah 68, 21 Ander Herrera for Fellaini 70, 40 Joel Pereira for Romero 81.
Substitutes not used: 9 Ibrahimovic, 17 Blind, 18 Young, 19 Rashford.
Manager: Jose Mourinho
Goals: Fellaini 44, Smalling 57, Mkhitaryan 74, Schweinsteiger 81.
Wigan Athletic: 28 Haugaard, 12 Connolly, 3 Buxton, 33 Burn, 23 Warnock, 16 MacDonald, 6 Power, 8 Morsy, 4 Perkins, 17 Jacobs, 9 Grigg.
Substitutes: 31 Wildschut for Perkins 59, 19 Tunnicliffe for Grigg 71, 43 Browne for MacDonald 76.
Substitutes not used: 2 James, 13 Kellett, 20 Morgan, 22 Jaaskelainen.
Manager: Will Joyce
Referee: Neil Swarbrick
Attendance: 75,229
