Manchester United were frustrated for much of the opening half by Wigan Athletic but are ahead at the break thanks to Javier Hernandez and Robin van Persie.
The visitors controlled possession but struggled to create clear-cut chances for much of the first 45 minutes.
Ryan Giggs put the best cross of the match in on the half-hour mark, but the ball was not rewarded by a willing United runner.
Wigan's stubborn resistance was ended 10 minutes before the interval when Patrice Evra's shot was parried by Ali Al-Habsi into the path of Hernandez, who made no mistake from close range.
Van Persie then gave Al-Habsi no chance two minutes before the interval, collecting a pass from Hernandez before curling an unstoppable shot into the top corner.
