The Gunners launched a breathtaking second-half display to record an emphatic 4-1 victory against Wigan.

Yet the home side were left to reflect on a decision by Wiley which they felt might have changed the face of the game.

He handed a yellow card, not a red, to Arsenal's Keiran Gibbs after he hauled back Antonio Valencia. To complete Wigan's misery Ben Watson's free-kick smacked the post.

Manager Steve Bruce said: "I cannot go with the referee thinking Antonio wasn't in control of the situation and that he would not get the ball first.

"He was probably the quickest player on the pitch, so he was going to get the ball first.

"Hey, we might still have lost. But I know one thing, it a dam sight easier playing Arsenal with 10 men than it is with 11."

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger had a different take on the matter, however.

He said: "I was a bit scared like everyone else but at that moment (Mikael) Silvestre was behind Gibbs and I hoped it would be a yellow.

"I still think our goalkeeper would have had the ball. It was not a goal chance. He (Valencia) had pushed the ball too far."

Mido put Wigan ahead after goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski failed to deal with his close-range shot and only helped it into the net.

But that only prompted a furious backlash from the Gunners with all their goals coming in the second half.

Theo Walcott began the rout with a neat finish before substitute Silvestre put them in front.

Andrey Arshavin then took advantage of a mistake from Jason Koumas too extend their lead and Alexandre Song rounded things off after a storming run.

The only downside for Wenger was that Johan Djourou sustained a knee injury and is likely to miss the Champions League match against Villarreal on Wednesday.

The scores are locked at 1-1 but Arsenal showed against Wigan they have the necessary firepower to reach the semi-finals.

Wenger said: "I feel we have shown great character again today. This young team has a lot of mental strength.

"We have shown some qualities that make it very interesting for the future.

"Wigan were very strong and committed in the first half. They were well organised and the 50-50s went to them.

"We had problems with their man-to-man marking. But I felt in the second half our technique took over. We looked dangerous every time we had the ball."

It means Wigan have conceded eight goals in two games after the 4-0 drubbing by Everton, leaving Bruce shattered.

He said: "The disappointing thing for me were the second and third goals. It was comical stuff really.

"We have gifted Arsenal goals after a great hour when we worked so hard to deny Arsenal space.

"We are a bit shell-shocked. It would be difficult to say it was schoolboy stuff as that would disrespectful to schoolboys.

ends