Almost a week after the most humiliating defeat of his career, Wigan boss Roberto Martinez was happy to change his tune, and sing the praises of his players this time.
Saturday’s 1-0 win over Sunderland was as far removed from the experience of the 9-1 mauling by Spurs as you can get.
Martinez admitted it had been a taxing week for all concerned with the Latics, but he was delighted with the response of players who had been shell-shocked seven days earlier.
Hugo Rodallega scored the only goal of the game and the Wigan boss said: “It has been a very testing week. The reaction was great and to get a clean sheet and stop Sunderland playing - they only had one shot on target - showed all the ingredients needed in adversity.
"I was extremely proud of the players. They were desperate to get on the pitch and they showed it.
"Everyone at the football club is a lot better after the week we have had. It is not frustrating because it is the reality of where we are. The work is towards getting rid of the inconsistency and trying to fulfil our potential.
"This was a cup final within a league competition. We had to win, we had to perform, we had to react and we did everything.
"The fans could easily have shown their frustration but it was exactly the opposite. Everyone has affected their own performance and they showed that today. Many aspects of the things that went wrong on Sunday we corrected.”
