Bruce, who had previously never been beaten by Benitez in a Premier League game, revealed afterwards that this is the most talented side he’s had the privilege to manage but despite the generous funds that owner Dave Whelan brings to the club, the “vultures” continue to hover for his most talented players because of the of the Latics’s unfashionable reputation.

Surely the most appetising prime piece of meat vulnerable to pecked away from the JJB Stadium in the coming months must be their on-loan Egyptian striker Amr Zaki, who was already earning himself a burgeoning reputation on these shores before his stunning brace in front of the Kop on Saturday.

His opener was an unexpected gift from Daniel Agger, who got off to the worst possible start replacing long-term injury casualty Martin Skrtel in the centre of defence for his first Premier League start since coming back from a sustained period on the sidelines himself.

The reason Benitez had so far favoured the no-nonsense Slovakian to the more cultured ball-playing Dane was epitomised in a couple of seconds of madness in the 29th minute.

A seemingly routine pass from Reina got Agger into trouble as he failed to control the ball with an awful first touch but even though Zaki was closing him down, the former Brondby man still had the opportunity to get out of jail by hacking clear but instead he tried to be clever and beat the onrushing striker only to be robbed off possession with Zaki finishing coolly when one-on-one with the keeper.

At least Agger redeemed himself somewhat by showing the flip side to his game, especially when playing at home, as he drove forward to lay on Liverpool’s first equaliser eight minutes later.

Exchanging passes with left-back Dossena, Agger dragged a low cross back to find Dirk Kuyt in a central position for the Dutchman to fire the hosts level.

But Anfield was stunned for a second time seconds before the interval, this time with a piece of stunning genius rather than tragic comedy.

Antonio Valencia took his time to work an opening on the right wing under pressure from Dossena and Agger before lofting the ball to the far side of the penalty area where Zaki left Alvaro Arbeloa in his wake to connect with a spectacular acrobatic scissor-kick both timed and placed to perfection to restore Wigan’s lead.

Liverpool continued to falter for most of the second half but got the break they needed 15 minutes from the end when Valencia was sent off for a second booking after a wild challenge on Xabi Alonso who seems to have become something of a marked man for over-zealous opponents this term.

The Ecuadorian had been booked in petty circumstances just minutes earlier for supposedly encroaching on a Liverpool free-kick and afterwards Bruce claimed this “wrong decision” has cost his side the game.

Bruce also pointed out that home substitute Nabil El Zhar went unpunished for a similarly aggressive lunge soon after but in truth Valencia’s tackle could have warranted a straight red and it was a reckless act considering he already knew he’d been yellow-carded.

From then on, a tiring Wigan’s gallant resistance just wilted away under Anfield pressure.

It took just five minutes for Liverpool to level through the impressive Albert Riera with the Spaniard starting and finishing a slick move down the left as he struck from El Zhar’s pass following a dummy by Gerrard.

And a further five minutes later, Kuyt – a striker who went almost a year without a Premier League goal but has now hit three in two games – grabbed the winner with a miss-hit effort off his shin which was driven into the ground before bouncing up past the despairing Kirkland who got a touch.

“Jammy so-and-sos” snarl their rivals through gritted teeth.

But any cries of “Lucky Liverpool” will be discarded as mere sour grapes at Anfield come May if Benitez and co. are cracking open a bottle of bubbly to mark 2009 being a vintage year for number 19.