Dimitar Berbatov hit a hat-trick as Manchester United shrugged off their injury list with a second 5-0 win in a row, beating Wigan Athletic at Old Trafford, although the visitors were harshly reduced to 10 men in the first half.

Hot on the heels of their spanking of Fulham, United continued their post-Champions League resurgence with another direct attacking performance as Berbatov’s headline act was supported by goals from Ji-sung Park and Antonio Valencia.

Park opened the scoring on nine minutes, with Wigan hindered by the sending off of Conor Sammon on 38; Berbatov added a second before half-time, and a fine third just before the hour mark.

Valencia - playing at right-back - smashed home a ferocious fourth that echoed memories of Brazil legend Carlos Alberto, before Berbatov completed the rout from the spot after a foul by the woeful Antolin Alcaraz on Park.

The result sees United climb level on points with Manchester City after they drew 0-0 at West Brom; the margin of victory cuts City’s goal-difference advantage to five.

Wigan, meanwhile, stay 18th but now boast the worst goal difference in the division, 20 in the red after 18 matches.

Despite their mounting injury problems, United did not field their strongest XI, with Wayne Rooney and David de Gea on the bench - although Berbatov was clearly rewarded for his show-stopping cameo against Fulham, while De Gea appears to have lost his place to a confident-looking Anders Lindegaard.

And with Valencia and Michael Carrick playing as defenders - Park and Darron Gibson coming into the midfield - it seemed like this would be as good a chance as any for Wigan to snatch a result.

Wigan, meanwhile, continued with their policy of fielding Sammon ahead of Hugo Rodallega, a decision that they would later regret, albeit in controversial circumstances.

Predictably, United went for the Latics from the off, attacking them directly and with plenty of width as Valencia used his new position to rampage forward in marauding fashion.

They took an early lead thanks to great work from the other attacking full-back though as Patrice Evra went on a surging run down the left before cutting a fine ball back to Park, who angled a crisp finish past Ali Al-Habsi.

Javier Hernandez was denied what seemed a clear penalty when the comically poor Alcaraz clumsily tripped him in the box, referee Phil Dowd waving play on in what would not be his first dubious decision of the afternoon.

The next move saw a fizzing low ball from Nani wreak havoc, but Wigan survived that and almost got an unlikely leveller when livewire winger Victor Moses sold pretend centre-back Carrick with a fine turn before seeing his shot blocked by Jonny Evans.

Seven minutes before the break came an incident that ended the match as a contest, although United were in control anyway. A seemingly innocuous tangle between Sammon and Carrick on halfway saw the Irish forward - who had looked isolated and out of his depth thus far - stroke the England midfielder’s face with his outstretched hand.

Carrick look irritated more than wounded, but Dowd brandished a straight red card for what was niggly rather than dangerous or aggressive.

Soon afterwards United were two goals ahead, thanks to some hesitant defending from Wigan: Gibson had played a fine low ball into the box but Berbatov miscontrolled it.

Instead of clearing their lines, Alcaraz and Gary Caldwell watched on as they allowed the ball to loop up in the air and drop to the Bulgarian, who thrashed a low finish past the helpless Al-Habsi.

Both sides made half-time changes as United introduced young defender Ezekiel Fryers for Evans, while Wigan threw on target man Franco di Santo.

The hosts almost grabbed an immediate third as Park arrived to head Hernandez’s fine cross in: he was denied by a fine reflex stop from Al-Habsi, the ball landing just beyond the Korean as he advanced for the rebound.

That was promising for United but a lull followed, with little action other than a David Jones free-kick that went just wide.

Little, that was, until Berbatov’s second majestic goal in as many games. Seconds after Hernandez had another clear-cut penalty rejected - this time rugby-tackled to the deck by Maynor Figueroa - Valencia found the Bulgarian with a low ball from the right.

Berbatov had it all to do but, from the edge of the box and with his back to goal, he put himself clean through with a sublime drag-back while turning and lazily poking his finish into the roof of the net.

United could relax now, and they did so in ominous fashion - by bringing Rooney off the bench.

Wigan almost pulled one back though when Valencia let Di Santo shrug him off, the Argentine mis-hitting his finish weakly at Lindegaard.

Valencia, a winger by trade, showed his strengths later on though when - after a seemingly endless chain of United corners - he latched on to a ball from Carrick before unleashing a thunderous low drive that flashed through a crowded box and inside the bottom left, Al-Habsi unable to see let alone stop it.

Within seconds the hapless Alcaraz had finally given away the penalty he had been spared thus far - although ironically his clumsy foul on Park appeared to be outside the box.

With 12 minutes remaining Berbatov needed no encouragement to step up for the spot-kick, completing his hat-trick with a nonchalant pass into the bottom right as United emphasised their status as the form team in England - since Basel knocked them out of the Champions League on December 7, they have won four matches, scoring 16 and conceding one.

Reda Maher on Twitter @Reda_Maher / Eurosport