Rodallega hits West Ham on the rebound for Martinez

Wigan Athletic 1 West Ham United

Losing 5-0 at home is not normally seen as a positive starting point but then Roberto Martinez is clearly not your normal kind of person.

The Wigan manager oversaw his team's uninspiring victory over West Ham on Saturday, and then declared that the thumping Manchester United dished out last month is being used as a catalyst by everyone at the DW Stadium. "The 5-0 against Manchester United gave us an opportunity against West Ham," he said. "We could have played a different way against United and just gone for damage limitation and lost just 1-0 or 2-0. But I thought for 50 minutes in that game it gave us the platform to perform how we did today."

Hugo Rodallega's finish was impressively controlled as he followed up a rebound after Robert Green had done well to deny Jason Koumas from close range. "He was someone I have followed very closely and he is going to be an important player in the Premier League," Martinez said of Rodallega.

"He is 22 and has a fantastic future and I hope that he can carry on enjoying himself and settle in because obviously this is only early days for him. He is the sort of player we need, the kind of player who has not reached his potential and wants to develop their career playing for Wigan."

For their second successive foray to the North-west, following a dull showing against Blackburn, West Ham offered little threat. Carlton Cole and Zavor Hines could barely get hold of the ball, although James Tomkins and Scott Parker both had good chances to try and salvage a point.

However, it would not come and the Wets Ham manager, Gianfranco Zola, was left to ponder what might have been. "We never conceded anything to them and I think the goal was their only shot in the game," he said.

Wigan Athletic(4-5-1): Kirkland; Melchiot, Boyce, Bramble, Figueroa; Koumas (Scharner, 65), Thomas, Diame, N'Zogbia, Gomez (Sinclair, 90); Rodallega (Scotland, 72). Substitutes not used: Edman, Cho, Pollitt (gk), King.

West Ham United (4-4-2): Green; Gabbidon, Tomkins, Upson, Faubert; Stanislas (Diamanti, 63), Kovac (Behrami, 63), Parker, Noble (Nouble, 87); Hines, Cole. Substitutes not used: Spector, Da Costa, Kurucz (gk), Payne.

Referee: A Wiley (Staffordshire).

Booked: Wigan Bramble, Figueroa; West Ham Noble

Man of the match: Rodallega.

Attendance: 17,142.