"THAT'S the worst performance I have ever, ever seen from a Premier League team," an angry, hurt and humiliated Paul Jewell announced after watching his side slump to another defeat that set a club record of 21 league games without a win.

He claimed his acute embarrassment had nothing to do with the fact that his side's surrender happened on his first return to his old club, but surely that accentuated the pain. Not that Wigan were bothered; Steve Bruce had described this as a must-win game and his team duly obliged even if it took them the best part of an hour to break down their clueless opponents, second -half goals from Paul Scharner and Antonio Valencia lifting out them out of the bottom six for the first time this year.

"It was embarrassing and I'm not saying that because I'm back at Wigan," Jewell said. "It's embarrassing beccause Derby County deserve better than that. It's a great football club and a lot of the players don't deserve to be here. I never slag players off normally but the way they've gone out there, I can't defend it. I'm sick of walking on egg shells."

Jewell described the situation at Derby as similar to when he first came to Wigan. During his six years at the club, Jewell he achieved a 10th -place finish in season 2005/06 and reached a Carling Cup final, but repeating anything like that achievement is surely several seasons away. As with in the corresponding fixture at Pride Park last month, Wigan again hammered Derby in midfield, Michael Browne once more overshadowing Robbie Savage, while the Derby captain's midfield partner Hossam Ghaly was simply awful.

Derby did have an early chance to take the lead when on six minutes when Ghaly, on loan from Tottenham Hotspur, slipped a ball to Stephen Pearson, who shot straight at Chris Kirkland, and that was just about it from Derby in terms of an attacking threat.

On the muddy pitch, both sides surrendered possession freely and Wigan appeared to realise quickly that their best form of attack lay in long balls to Emile Heskey and Marlon King. From what possession they were able to hang on to they created the better chances of the first half, particularly when Mario Melchiot came storming forward from right-back. His cross on 13 minutes found Kevin Kilbane loosely marked in the area, but his diving header was too close to Roy Carroll, the Derby goalkeeper.

A Melchiot back -heel from a Kilbane corner was then cleared off the line by Giles Barnes. Derby spent the last quarter of the half firmly on the back- foot, their right-back Dean Leacock limping around for that period after appearing to pull a muscle in his back.

Jewell persisted in keeping him on the pitch and was almost punished for it when Kilbane found space down the left wing after a mistake by Savage and found the feet of Heskey on the six-yard box with a pinpoint cross, but the England striker could only poke the ball at Carroll.

Andy Todd replaced Leacock at half-time, but Kilbane continued to stretch Derby down the left, while Valencia was giving James McEveley a torrid time on the other side. Valencia helped win a corner on the 59th minute that Kilbane swung into the box. Again Melchiot was allowed an easy header, one that landed at the feet of Heskey. His first effort was blocked by the feet of Carroll, but the frontman then played the ball back across goal, where centre-half Scharner was unmarked and poked the ball into the net from two yards out.

Derby's fragile spirit then cracked. Wilson Palacios had a quick exchange with Kevin Kilbane on the edge of the box and his pinpoint cross to the back post was beautifully controlled by Valencia. With one movement the Ecquadorian took the onrushing McEveley out of the game and then had all the time in the world to blast the ball past Carroll.

"It was difficult for us with all the hype surrounding Paul's return, but the players did very well and I thought there was only one team who was going to win it," Bruce said.

Jewell, asked whether his side's target was now to top Sunderland's lowest ever Premiership total of 15 points, had to agree.

His side need something to aim at.

Match stats

Player ratings

Wigan: Kirkland 6, Melchiot 8, Boyce 6, Scharner 7, Edman 6 (Koumas 90min), Valencia 8, Brown 7, Palacios 7, Kilbane 8, Heskey 6 (Bent 90min), King 6 (Sibierski 85min)

Derby: Carroll 6, Leacock 5 (Todd ht, 5), Stubbs 6, Moore 6, McEveley 5, Fagan 5, Ghaly 5 (Sterjovski 62min), Savage 5, Pearson 5 (Villa 57min, 5), Barnes 5, Miller 5 Star man: Mario Melchiot (Wigan)

Scorers: Wigan: Scharner 60, Valencia 84