Kolo Toure's first home match in charge of Wigan ended in defeat as Sheffield United moved to within three points of Championship leaders Burnley.
Goals from John Egan and veteran Billy Sharp earned the Blades a sixth win in seven games as they press for one of the automatic promotion spots following last season's setback in the play-offs.
Toure received a warm welcome from Wigan fans before his first home game as boss but it didn't take long for the harsh reality of the task ahead of him to sink in.