Arsenal netted three goals in seven second-half minutes at the Emirates Stadium to finally condemn serial escapologists Wigan Athletic to relegation from the Premier League.
Lukas Podolski opened the scoring on 11 minutes, before Shaun Maloney levelled for the FA Cup winners with a superb free kick moments prior to the break.
Theo Walcott, Podolski and Aaron Ramsey all scored just after the hour mark to take the game away from Roberto Martinez's side, whose eight-year stay in the top flight will end following their final-day match against Aston Villa.
The Gunners are now one point clear of local rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the race for the top four and will secure Champions League qualification with victory over Newcastle United this weekend.
You can read how the action unfolded in north London.
Good evening, all. This is the second half of an absolutely massive double bill for Wigan, who put the first piece of major silverware in their trophy cabinet on Saturday.
Their FA Cup triumph over Manchester City means it is job half done for Roberto Martinez's odds-defying Latics, who now must beat Arsenal to take their Premier League survival bid to the final day of the season.
But stakes are high for their opponents too, with Arsenal requiring victory to keep their Champions League destiny in their own hands and prevent north London rivals Spurs taking pole position in the top-four race.
Wigan's Wembley clash with City was effectively a 'no-lose situation'. Nobody expected them to beat the Manchester giants. Of course, they did. But, tonight is different. They have everything to lose.
The lineups are in, so let's start with the hosts...
ARSENAL: Szczesny, Sagna, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Gibbs, Rosicky, Arteta, Ramsey, Cazorla, Walcott, Podolski
SUBS: Fabianski, Vermaelen, Jenkinson, Monreal, Wilshere, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Gervinho
WIGAN: Robles; Boyce, Scharner, Alcaraz, Espinoza; McCarthy, McArthur, Gomez; Maloney, McManaman; Kone
SUBS: Al Habsi, Caldwell, Watson, Di Santo, Henriquez, Fyvie, Golobart
Arsenal make just one change, with Kieran Gibbs replacing Nacho Monreal at left-back. Olivier Giroud is still serving his three-match suspension, meaning that Lukas Podolski continues in the lone forward role.
Goalkeeper Lukas Fabianksi is fit again, but his Polish compatriot Wojciech Szczesny is maintained in the Gunners net after putting in a series of improved performances since returning to the starting XI.
Following the news that he will undergo further surgery on his ankle in the near future, midfielder Jack Wilshere is again only named on the home bench. Aaron Ramsey, Mikel Arteta and Tomas Rosicky make up Arsenal's engine room.
Perhaps hoping that his team can use the momentum of their FA Cup triumph, Martinez names the same XI that began the showdown at Wembley, rather than reverting to fresh legs.
That means that goalscoring hero, Ben Watson, is only among the Wigan substitutes. Man-of-the-Match, Callum McManaman, is named on the right wing and his threat will pose a huge threat to the returning Gibbs.
Martinez has been bemoaning Wigan's unfortunate run of defensive injuries, and is again without several players that may have featured in his first-choice back line.
Ivan Ramis (cruciate knee ligament) and Maynor Figueroa (groin strain) are absent from the squad, while captain Gary Caldwell is still nursing a hip problem and is only fit for a place on the bench.
A midfielder by trade, Roger Espinoza will fill in at left back with both Figueroa and Jean Beausejour sidelined. Arsene Wenger may pinpoint the Honduran as a weak link in the Latics side and instruct Walcott to run at him on the right flank.
Speaking to Sky Sports News, Martinez described tonight as "an exciting challenge". How typically optimistic of the man that has masterminded countless Latics escapes.
Wigan have won their final two games of the last two seasons to complete final-day escapes from the drop. If they can repeat that feat this year, they will enjoy a ninth successive season in the top flight, regardless of results elsewhere.
So, there is are no major headlines in the team lineups, but by the end of the night, headlines will have been written. Have Wigan got another huge performance in them so soon after the most famous day in their history?
There seems to be a range of views between Wigan fans as to what is more important - Premier League survival or winning the FA Cup. Of course, Martinez believes achieving both is a possibility.
They will be up against a much fresher Arsenal team, though. While Wigan played 90 demanding minutes on Saturday, the Gunners have had a 10-day rest since their last outing - a 1-0 victory over Queens Park Rangers.
Wigan have beaten Arsenal twice before in the Premier League era, including a victory at the Emirates last year when Franco Di Santo and Jordi Gomez scored inside the first six minutes to earn the Latics a 2-1 win.
PREDICTION: Wigan fans won't like this. In-fact, Spurs fans won't like this either. I think Wigan will run Arsenal close, but the Gunners may just have the fresher legs and will nick it with a couple of goals in the latter stages. 3-1.
Of course, that result would send Wigan down. Just to clarify the respective situations again. Anything but a win would effectively see the visitors relegated. If Arsenal drop points, a Spurs win against Sunderland on the final day of the season would mean the Gunners miss out on Champions League qualification.
Here we go then, the action is underway at the Emirates...
Arsenal have made a fast start here, moving the ball around quickly without threatening Joel Robles's goal yet. Theo Walcott has scored inside the first three minutes of their last two matches.
Cazorla threads in Walcott, who may have been in on goal had he been able to control the pass. Eventually, the England international receives it again and crosses low, only for a combination of Scharner and Espinoza to clear the danger.
It appears as though Wigan have lined up with three at the back - Boyce, Alcaraz and Scharner - and Espinoza and James McArthur occupying the wing back roles.
McManaman terrorised former Arsenal left-back Gael Clichy at Wembley and here has his first chance to run at Gibbs. He gets by the Gunners man but Laurent Koscielny boots the ball away.
CLOSE! Arsenal have the first sight on goal, as Walcott launches a counter down the right. He is being tracked by Scharner and McCarthy, but neither do enough to prevent Walcott delivering a cross which Santi Cazorla stoops low to head just wide. Robles was beaten.
Walcott is again the focal point for Arsenal and he speeds past Espinoza before firing in a low cross that is turned behind by McArthur.
GOAL! Arsenal 1-0 Wigan (Lukas Podolski)
Is this the beginning of the end for Wigan? The Arsenal corner is drifted in and somehow evades the few Latics bodies in their own box, allowing Podolski to steer the ball in with his head from close range. Awful defending from Wigan, that has always been their problem.
Espinoza is forced to concede a corner under pressure from Walcott, who has started this match in the same electric manner which has seen him notch early in recent fixtures. The set piece is cleared at the near post, but Arsenal and the Emirates are buzzing. Wigan need to weather this storm without falling further behind.
A cross from goalscorer Podolski is cleared to Ramsey at the edge of the box, and he shoots first time, only for Scharner to charge down the effort and block.
Wigan finally keep the ball for a minute or so in the middle of the park, with Gomez and Maloney combining well, without penetration. It will just be a relief for the visitors to have some possession at this stage.
Again, a clearance breaks to an Arsenal shirt. This time it is Sagna, whose dragged effort on goal nearly finds the stretching Gibbs at the far post when any form of contact would have seen the ball fly past Robles.
CHANCE! Shortly after Walcott and Arteta both have shots blocked, Cazorla picks out Aaron Ramsey with a clever through pass, but the Welshman can only direct the ball wide from a tight angle.
CHANCE! Wigan threaten for the first time, as Gomez chips a ball over the top for Kone, who is waiting to head over the onrushing Szczesny before Koscielny brilliantly hooks the ball clear.
Some quick feet by Maloney draws a foul from Arteta, and Wigan have a free kick about 28 yards out to the right centre of goal. Gomez tries to drill a shot under the wall, which refuses to budge.
Scharner commits himself forward and then misjudges the bounce of the ball, allowing Arsenal to again counter through Walcott. He lays the ball back towards Cazorla but Boyce lunges in to make a crucial block.
Arteta takes a thump to the back of the head and goes down. Referee Mike Dean stops play, but the Spaniard rises to his feet and decides that he does not need the attention of the physio.
SHOT! Wigan register their first shot on goal of the match. Maloney takes a quick free kick to Gomez, who shifts it across to Kone to blast an ambitious effort high and wide.
McArthur plays a fine ball inside Gibbs and McManaman gets to the byline, but his weak cross is stopped at the near post by Koscielny - his second vital interception of the game.
STAT: Wigan have had 61% of possession during the past 10 minutes. Does that signal a change in the tide? Only a goal will change it substantially enough for the Latics, though.
SHOT! Promising from Maloney, who drifts inside Sagna from the Wigan left, commits another Arsenal tackle and then shoots, only for Mertesacker to block.
CHANCE! Arsenal come within inches of doubling their lead from a corner! Mertesacker, as he did for the goal, makes a nuisance for himself at the near post and when Scharner ducks underneath the ball, Koscielny guides the ball just wide.
Wigan get plenty of bodies forward as they switch the play quickly to McManaman on the right. This time, the tricky winger chooses to cut inside and is crowded out by the three Gunners players that greet him inside the home area.
Mike Dean correctly allows play to continue after Cazorla goes down softly under the challenge of McCarthy, who sets Kone free. Arsenal are relieved to see the offside flag raised.
GOAL! Arsenal 1-1 Wigan Athletic (Shaun Maloney)
Wigan fans, keep believing! Dean angers the Arsenal fans by awarding Maloney a free kick 25 yards out, when there seemed to be minimal force behind Arteta's nudge. The Scot rises to take the set piece himself, and he hits it superbly, dipping a fierce strike over the wall and right into the bottom corner. Szczesny got a hand to it, but couldn't keep it out. The dream is still alive!
HALF-TIME: Arsenal 1-1 Wigan Athletic
The half-time whistle is greeted with boos by the Emirates Stadium crowd, who clearly feel that the awarding of the free kick that led to Wigan's equaliser was unjust. They have a fair point, as Maloney appeared to use his body to earn the foul, leaning into Arteta, rather than the other way around.
Previously, Arsenal had come flying out of the blocks, with Theo Walcott a constant danger on the right flank. Lukas Podolski capitalised on some poor Latics defending to put the hosts ahead from a corner and Wigan were then forced to withstand a barrage of Arsenal raids and counter attacks. The visitors eventually settled, finished the half the stronger and levelled through Maloney's superb free kick.
Here, you can read a half-time report on the Emirates Stadium action, courtesy of my Sports Mole colleague, Pascal Lemesre.
LATEST: If the game ends as it currently stands, Wigan would still mathematically be in the hunt for survival, but their vastly inferior goal difference would almost surely see them relegated. Arsenal would move to within a point of Spurs, who would secure fourth with victory over Sunderland on the final day.
The action has resumed at the Emirates, with both sides unchanged...
SAVE! Szczesny produces a world-class stop to deny Wigan the lead! McManaman wriggles through a couple of Arsenal bodies in the box and pokes the ball through to Kone, who, from six yards out, tries to sneak it beyond the Gunners stopper, who stretches out a hand to make a wonderful reflex save.
DISALLOWED! Wigan have the ball in the net again, but it is ruled out for offside! Maloney's deflected shot falls kindly to McCarthy, who smartly prods through the legs of Szczesny, only to see the flag raised on the far side.
DOUBLE SAVE! It is now the turn of Robles to keep his side on level terms. Rosicky superbly releases Walcott, who picks out Cazorla with a precise cutback. The Spaniard hits the layoff first time and Robles saves, and then strikes the rebound sweetly, which Robles again superbly stops with a close-range block.
BOOKING! Alacaraz becomes the first name to enter referee Dean's notebook this evening after hauling down the turning Rosicky.
The first 10 minutes of this half have been fantastic, end-to-end entertainment. We still have 35 minutes left. I am sure there is plenty more drama in store!
BOOKING! Maloney is cautioned for apparent time wasting when he delayed the taking of a Wigan corner to allow McManaman to receive treatment. Very harsh, why would Wigan be time wasting when only a win is enough for them?
SUBSTITUTION: McManaman cannot continue, and is being attended to be the Wigan medics on the sidelines. Franco di Santo is on in his place.
CHANCE! Walcott's cross is slightly overhit and travels to Gibbs at the far post. He stands up a return cross, which Podolski heads straight into the hands of Robles.
HEADER! Di Santo draws a foul from Gibbs and earns the Latics a free kick. Maloney drifts in a cross which Boyce flicks a few yards wide of the far post.
CHANCE! Rosicky slips in Walcott inside the full back again, and he outpaces Scharner before driving in on goal. He tries to sneak the ball past Robles, who stands tall and makes a crucial block at his near post.
GOAL! Arsenal 2-1 Wigan Athletic (Theo Walcott)
Cazorla gets free in acres of space down the right. Walcott makes a surging run through the middle which is not followed by Alcaraz, and the Spaniard picks out his teammate with a brilliant fizzed cross that Walcott bundles home from six yards. Wigan have a huge mountain to climb now!
Walcott's pace has been a constant danger all night and it may have just put the nail in Wigan's coffin here. There is still time for the visitors to reply, but not much of it!
GOAL! Arsenal 3-1 Wigan (Lukas Podolski)
That should be that. It's again poor defending from Wigan as a poor initial clearing header is nodded over Alcaraz by Cazorla, and Podolski takes advantage of Scharner's daydreaming to latch onto the pass and lob the ball over Robles. Surely, this is a hole too deep for even Wigan and Martinez to escape from?
GOAL! Arsenal 4-1 Wigan Athletic (Aaron Ramsey)
Well that goal all-but confirms Wigan's relegation from the Premier League. Ramsey beats the offside trap when he collects a through ball from Gibbs and he drives inside, creating an angle for him to blast beyond Robles from close range. The Latics are heading to the Championship, and Arsenal are closing in on Champions League qualification.
Wigan need to be careful that this doesn't get embarrassing. The game is so stretched now that Arsenal look like scoring every time they venture forward on the counter.
Di Santo gets in on the left channel and attempts to square a cross for Kone, but Koscielny comes across to hoof the ball away, only just missing his own post with the clearance.
CLOSE! Di Santo meets the resulting corner at the near post, but his flick on lands the wrong side of the roof of the net from the Wigan perspective.
DOUBLE SUBSTITUTION: Podolski is denied a chance for a hat-trick as Wenger hauls him off for the last 10 minutes. Rosicky is also off, with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Jack Wilshere into the action. The latter receives a very warm reception.
SHOT! Di Santo attempts a spectacular strike from distance which is dragged a few yards wide of the home goal.
Arsenal are pushing for more. Cazorla sets Gibbs away on the left, but his cross is charged down by Boyce, the man who lifted the FA Cup for Wigan just three days ago.
SUBSTITUTION: Goalscorer Shaun Maloney, certainly a star performer for Wigan this season, is replaced by Manchester United loanee Angelo Henriquez.
SCRAMBLE! A low Ramsey shot is spilled by Robles. Both Oxlade-Chamberlain and Walcott pounce on the rebound, but the Wigan stopper and several of their defenders make crucial interventions to prevent the Gunners bagging a fifth.
We are entering second-half stoppage time, of which there will be two minutes...
SUBSTITUTION: Wenger throws on club captain Thomas Vermaelen for the final minute at the expense of stand-in skipper Arteta.
FULL-TIME: Arsenal 4-1 Wigan Athletic - WIGAN ARE RELEGATED FROM THE PREMIER LEAGUE
That result brings a close on Wigan's eight-year spell in the Premier League, and puts Arsenal's Champions League destiny in their own hands ahead of the final day of the season.
That is it from me this evening. Here, you can read Sports Mole's full-time report on the Emirates action. Stay tuned with us throughout the night for reaction to Wigan's relegation. Thanks for joining us for this fixture. Goodbye!
Written by
Joe Fish
Joe Fish
