Five talking points from Crewe (a)

1 Hold it right there... If anyone was beginning to think it was all rosy in the garden - with the club having found a buyer and recording successive wins in the league - they were given a rude awakening which lasted pretty much all of the 90 minutes. Crewe could and should have won by far more than three goals, such was their superiority throughout. John Sheridan refused to find any excuses for the performance, and there couldn't have been any. Too many players didn't show up on the day - the worst performance of the campaign by some distance.

2 Keeping Latics in it... If Jamie Jones hadn't been on form, Latics would indeed have lost by many more. Time and time again the goalkeeper stood in the way of wave after wave of Crewe attacking. And the third goal summed up his afternoon. Two fine saves...only for Crewe's former Latics striker Mikael Mandron to react quicker than any of the Wigan defenders to poke home from a yard. When the goalkeeper in a well-beaten side is the only contender for star man, you know it's not gone well.

3 No-go after Joe KO... Latics didn't just miss the goal power of top scorer Joe Garner at the Alexandra Stadium. They also missed their most experienced player, their talisman, and the leader of the line. New-boy Will Keane had only joined Latics 24 hours beforehand, and it showed. The former Manchester United cut an increasingly isolated figure up top and, shorn of match fitness, it was a tough baptism of fire. He will get better, and so will Latics with Garner back in the fold.

4 A steep learning curve... Academy graduates Chris Merrie and Alex Perry have undoubtedly been two of Latics' shining lights in the opening few weeks of the campaign. But both found the going considerably tougher in the engine room at the Alexandra Stadium. Having done better than anyone could have realistically expected, both could ideally do with time to draw breath, and take stock of how far they've come. Lack of squad strength has seen them thrown in at the deep end, and they've not only managed to stay afloat but managed to swim against the tide. For their own good, they now need managing, supporting and protecting.

5 Surprise surprise? It's fair to say there were more than a few raised eyebrows when the team sheets came out, including a couple of Crewe players who had recently tested positive for Covid-19 and were still reportedly self-isolating. The Crewe management revealed they had been clearance from the EFL to play. Which led to plenty of head scratching, given the national guidelines. With Tranmere also releasing a statement on Saturday night saying they wanted to call off their game at Salford, only to take to the field because of the possible threat of a points deduction, it was another weekend with more questions than answers regarding a problem that is not going away any time soon.