Wigan 2 Birmingham 1

A Maynor Figueroa 25-yard thunderbolt in stoppage time dealt Birmingham's survival hopes a huge blow.

The Honduran international's superb strike marked a remarkable comeback for Wigan who battled back from a goal down after just five minutes.

Liam Ridgewell nudged the home side before Tom Cleverley levelled the game midway through the first-half.

Both sides began and ended the game in the relegation zone, Blues having dropped a place following West Ham's goalless draw against Tottenham in the day's early kick-off.

But the result, coupled with a draw for Albion and a win for Wolves, has boosted Wigan's survival hopes while dragging Blues closer to the drop.

Manager Alex McLeish's recent injury woes appear to be after making four changes from the depleted team that narrowly lost to Bolton last weekend in an FA Cup quarter-final.

Roger Johnson, Stephen Carr and Craig Gardner all returned to the starting line-up, after being benched or rested last week respectively.

Martin Jiranek and Barry Ferguson also managed to shake off knocks suffered against Bolton to make the starting line-up for the second consecutive week, while fellow injury doubts David Bentley and Obafemi Martins both made the bench.

But Lee Bowyer, Keith Fahey, both nursing their hamstrings, and top scorer Nikola Zigic, with a groin injury, were all absent from the side.

For Wigan, top scorer Hugo Rodallega could only make the bench after struggling with a knock picked up in his side's defeat to Manchester City last weekend.

Antolin Alcaraz forced a comfortable save from goalkeeper Ben Foster in just the second minute with a tame header and Cleverly then drew a slightly stronger stop two minutes later, after turning Carr delightfully on the edge of the box.

Ridgewell then prodded Blues ahead with five minutes gone from Jiranek's headed pass, after Wigan had failed to clear Sebastian Larsson's free-kick.

But Jiranek's game was over just nine minutes later though, after suffering a re-occurrence of last weekend's ankle injury.

Curtis Davies was brought on as his replacement and the defender almost set up a second goal with his first touch.

Davies nudged Larsson's corner into Cameron Jerome's path and goalkeeper Ali Al-Habsi blocked the striker's shot from point blank range.

Wigan were struggling to maintain possession but they drew level 25 minutes in with their first decent attack through Cleverley.

Ben Watson split Blues'defence with a superb through ball and Foster could only nudge Emmerson Boyce's low cross into the midfielder's path to restore parity.

Both sides continued to make errors before half time and Figueroa was caught then in possession by Larsson deep in his own half.

However, Jordon Mutch spared the Honduran's blushes by drilling just wide from the Swedish international's pass.

At the other end, Charles N'Zogbia fired wide from Boyce's cross a minute before the break as Blues were once again exposed down the right wing.

Larsson then rattled the cross bar for the visitors in first-half stoppage time from a curling free kick, as the game ebbed and flowed.

Blues wasted a great chance early in the second-half, when Gardner was upended on the edge of the box by Gary Caldwell.

It should have presented a great shooting chance for Larsson, but an over-elaborate set-piece routine allowed Wigan to smother the eventual shot. Victor Moses was booked for encroachment in the build-up.

Not to be outdone, Watson smashed a similarly inviting free-kick straight at Foster, after Davies had brought down N'Zogbia on the edge of the area.

With both sides at risk of cancelling each other out, the managers made changes. Bentley replaced Jean Beausejour on the left with 32 minutes remaining.

Jerome forced a fine save from Al-Habsi as Blues launched a swift counter attack and Foster then pulled off an equally vital stop from Figueroa, after N'Zogbia had danced his way into the box sublimely.

McLeish then swapped Mutch for Martins, while Wigan manager Roberto Martinez replaced Franco Di Santo and Moses with Rodallega and Conor Sammon as both sides gambled for a win.

N'Zogbia and Ridgewell both missed the target, the former after a good run down the right wing, the latter from Larsson's deep free kick.

Alcaraz was then booked for bringing down Jerome in midfield, as the striker launched a counter attack.

But, again, Blues matched their hosts though as Davies then brought down N'Zogbia minutes later to earn the same punishment.

Salmon was denied by a Johnson block from 10 yards out as the ball broke inside the box, with Blues then somehow scrambling the ball away as Foster twice denied Rodallega from close range.

Davies then played Rodallega in on goal with a wayward headed clearance, but the striker pushed Johnson to reach the ball before hooking it over Foster, as the goal was disallowed.

James McCarthy then fired over from 20 yards out after good work from Cleverley, as Wigan pressed hard for the winner.

Figueroa went into the book late on for a robust challenge on Martins and Alcaraz looked lucky not to concede a penalty three minutes from time, after appearing to body-check Davies inside the box.

Foster was forced to turn behind N'Zogbia's deflected shot in stoppage time and it appeared his effort had earned Blues an important away point.

But Figueroa stole the points in the second minute of stoppage time, with a 25-yard screamer from Cleverley's cut back.