Andy Cole condemned Wigan to an FA Cup fourth-round defeat as Manchester City came out on top in a game which burst into life after a tepid start.

Cole kept his head when Bradley Wright-Phillips flicked an astute pass into his stride eight minutes from time and beat John Filan with a clinical low finish.

Twice an FA Cup winner with Manchester United, Cole's goal keeps alive his hopes of adding a third medal to his collection, while also ending Wigan's hopes of a domestic cup double.

The Latics did not go down without a fight and the Blues rearguard was fully stretched at the end to keep them out.

But their best chance went begging before Cole scored when David James denied Jason Roberts with an outstanding feet-first stop and Damien Francis smashed the rebound against the bar.

The frenzy of the latter stages was in stark contrast to the woeful fare which had gone before, with neither side looking capable of landing a knockout blow.

The potentially potent mix of cup magic and a local derby should have raised the passions, particularly as City officials had taken the wise move of closing the top tiers at the City of Manchester Stadium to guarantee a better atmosphere.

Certainly there was a positive response from the respective sets of supporters, at least until the game started.

To say the opening period was poor would have been a significant understatement.

Neither keeper had a save to make and the only shot which did not hit someone at least 10 yards from goal came from Stephen Ireland and even then Wigan keeper John Filan was able to watch it sail over the bar.

At least City could claim they tried to attack. A couple of crosses from Darius Vassell and Albert Riera came dangerously close to hitting their targets. And, if Pascal Chimbonda had not raced across the pitch to block another Vassell cross, Riera would have been presented with a tap-in.

The main talking point, such as it was, came when Cole nipped in front of Filan at the near post and then seemed to be taken down by the Wigan keeper. Even the penalty protests were half-hearted and referee Howard Webb certainly was not convinced as he waved play on.

Almost an hour had gone by before either keeper was forced into a meaningful save and Filan was hardly stretched as he moved to his right to collect Sylvain Distin's header.

In fairness, Wigan were much more convincing after the break than they had been before it and the introductions of Roberts and Jimmy Bullard just emphasised their strength.

The double substitution almost worked to perfection when City's failure to clear Ziegler's free-kick led to Roberts being presented with an outstanding opportunity seven yards out.

James' save was outstanding but there was no excuse for Francis not drilling home the rebound.

It was almost as though someone had flicked a switch so quickly did the game light up.

Wright-Phillips had a header brilliantly tipped over by Filan but after the youngster City had blotted his copybook by wasting two crosses, he found the right touch when it mattered to set up Cole for the winner.