Report by John Patrick Heeley

Wigan manager Paul Jewell opted for the same starting line up that drew at Huddersfield at the weekend with Peter Kennedy still missing through suspension following his 10th yellow card of the season at Notts County.

Wigan's first chance of the game came after 7 minutes with Gary Teale finding skipper Arjan De Zeeuw in the area from a free kick out on the left but the header sent in by the Dutchman posed no threat for former Sunderland keeper Lionel Perez and the Frenchman collected comfortably.

In the 13th minute Lee McCulloch was denied the opening goal of the game by an inspired piece of goalkeeping from Perez.

McCulloch bore down on goal after picking up a through ball and raced clear with only the short-sleeved Perez to beat but the Scottish striker was closed down quickly by the French keeper who narrowed the angle well to block a thunderous shot from McCulloch.

Wigan didn't have to wait much longer for the opener however. Gary Teale charged into the box and teed up a shot for Lee McCulloch but before the Wigan number 11 had chance to take aim he was sent tumbling to the floor by Cambridge midfielder Ian Ashbee.

The referee didn't hesitate in pointing to the spot and up stepped ANDY LIDDELL to coolly slot home for his 11th goal of the season, putting him on level terms in this season's goalscoring chart with the departed Simon Haworth.

The visitors had little if anything at all to offer in the way of a reply and John Filan in the Wigan goal was a virtual spectator for the remainder of the first half.

As seconds ticked away before the break Scott Green looked to have doubled Wigan's lead when he broke free with a surging run straight through the middle, cutting the Cambridge defence in half, and his low shot on goal from 15 yards out beat Perez but also sailed narrowily wide of the right hand post.

Both sides made changes during the interval with Wigan's Matt Jackson being rested in favour of Ian Nolan and the ginger haired Cambridge striker Dave Kitson swapped with the daunting figure of French striker Armand One.

The two teams had been back on the pitch a matter of seconds when the evening's second goal arrived, and what a goal it was!

From a throw in on the left ANDY LIDDELL collected the ball on the corner of the visitor's area, and with his back to goal turned and hit a sweet ball into the top corner leaving the U's keeper to watch helplessly.

Minutes later Liddell fluffed a chance to secure his second hat trick of the season when McCulloch raced down the right flank before squaring the ball across to Liddell but the normally calm and collected frontman momentarily lost his nerve and fired high into the South Stand behind the goal.

Cambridge clawed their way back into the game, albeit for a short period. Steve McMillan was penalised for handball in the area and the Lichfield official again didn't hesitate with his decision and awarded the visitors a spot kick.

IAN ASHBEE, the villian from the penalty given to Wigan in the first half, sent Filan the wrong way to bring the deficit back to one goal.

As I already said, the brief glimmer of hope for Cambridge was shortlived, for six minutes in fact, as Latics stepped up the ante with a third goal in the 71st minute.

Scott Green sent a free kick across the face of goal and LEE McCULLOCH showed the frailty in Cambridge's defence by cruising in unchallenged to fire home from close range at the far post for his sixth strike of the season.

With the game approaching the final 10 minutes John Taylor's side had their first real chance of the half on goal from open play but it took a deflection off Wigan skipper Arjan De Zeeuw to wake Filan into life when young striker Tom Youngs sent a cross into the box only for the big Dutch centre half to inadvertantly send the ball goalbound forcing the Wigan keeper to push the ball behind for a corner.

Seconds were ticking away when Wigan made the score look that bit more respectable and it was that man again ANDY LIDDELL, who completed his second hat trick of the season, and in fact his career.

The former Barnsley forward collected the ball down on the right side of the Cambridge area, took it almost to the byeline and sent it over to the far post, and to his delight found the top corner.

The goal took his current total for the season to 13 surpassing the 11 that Simon Haworth left the club on.

However, the electronic scoreboard had earlier shown that the Welsh striker had in fact scored for his new side Tranmere on his home debut, a goal that turned out to be the winner against Bristol City.