REPORT: Rotherham United 0 Wigan Athletic 1 - Baba's maiden goal gives Tics a perfect Christmas present

The 21-year-old was in the right place at the right time to convert Jonny Smith's pull-back, to give Latics a deserved victory at the New York Stadium.

"We've been waiting a while for that from Baba!" laughed Maloney. "But his performance certainly deserved it, he's been brilliant for us since coming back into the side.

"He gives us attributes without the ball that no-one else in the squad has...Scott Smith is close, and Kai Payne will get there, but Baba is there already.

"What he's starting to do now is affect games with the ball, and the good thing is there's so much still to come from him.

"This is a big win for us, we're in pretty good form - apart from the last 20 minutes against Shrewsbury - but we're doing okay."

It was no more than Latics deserved for a textbook away-day performance in South Yorkshire.

The visitors started well with Jonny Smith cutting in from the right and drilling the ball just wide of the far post.

At the other end, though, Rotherham came inches away from the opening goal when a right-wing cross was met by the head of Mallik Wilks, with Sam Tickle relieved to see it fly just over the top.

Latics suffered a huge blow when Matt Smith was unable to run off a knock, with Scott Smith coming on in his place.

And they were grateful for Tickle making a good save to deny Joe Powell.

But the visitors would have been reasonably satisfied with the way things were going as half-time approached.

And after Jonny Smith forced another good save from Dillon Phillips, Latics took the lead in the third minute of stoppage-time at the end of the half.

Rotherham looked like they'd dodged a bullet when Phillips made a superb save to keep out a Silko Thomas effort.

But great work down the right by Smith saw him race to the byline, and his cross was slotted home by Adeeko.

Predictably, Rotherham started the second half with the half-time words of Steve Evans ringing in their ears.

Tickle made a fine save to repel a stinging strike from Wilks, with the young Latics goalkeeper then showing exemplary handling to deal with a Powell free-kick that was nodded back across goal.

Latics squandered a gilt-edged opportunity to make the game safe 11 minutes after the restart, when a deep corner from Jonny Smith found slipper Jason Kerr unmarked at the far post.

However, from three yards out, and with the whole of the goal to aim at, Kerr somehow nodded wide of the post - to his obvious disbelief.

Michael Olakigbe, Jensen Weir, James Carragher and Joe Hugill took over from Jonny Smith, Thelo Aasgaard, Thomas and Dale Taylor as Shaun Maloney added fresh legs in the last half-hour.

But Latics managed to keep the home side at arm's length without further alarm to move up to within touching distance of the top half of the table.