Gabriel Agbonlahorcreated two goals and scored another to keep Aston Villa riding high in the Barclays Premier League.
Agbonlahor's pace and skill was too much for Wigan Athletic as he won a controversial first-half penalty which Gareth Barry converted and then stole the show in the second half with a predatory strike and a brilliant assist.
In the 57th minute, the Birmingham-born striker, 22, bundled home a close-range shot and then embarked on a delightful run and inch-perfect cross for substitute John Carew to head home five minutes later.
Substitute Steve Sidwell curled home a superb fourth goal in the last minute as Wigan, who largely dominated the first half, crumbled in the face of Villa's awesome attacking artillery after the restart.
Heskey looked lively in the opening exchanges but, almost typically, he failed to convert an opportunity presented to him in the ninth minute.
A corner from the right flank was flicked on by Amr Zaki and reached Heskey at the far post.
The England striker was unable to silence the large and vocal army of travelling supporters behind Brad Friedel's goal as he sliced a weak volley wide.
Yet Wigan continued to probe and Kapo found the space to strike a powerful, rising left-foot shot which flew over Friedel's crossbar in the 15th minute.
penalty kick
Three minutes later, De Ridder whipped in a vicious cross from the right flank which Heskey just failed to connect with.
Villa had showed little in attack but they opened the scoring in controversial circumstances in the 22nd minute.
Barry sent Agbonlahor racing clear down the left-hand channel and Latics defender Titus Bramble, desperate not to be outpaced by the striker, made a lunging tackle and looked to have played the ball clear.
Referee Mike Jones had other ideas, pointing straight to the spot for a penalty kick which Barry dispatched with aplomb past Chris Kirkland's despairing right hand.
The penalty award infuriated Wigan players and supporters alike but their response was encouraging and they almost fashioned an equaliser in the 25th minute.
An inswinging corner from the left by De Ridder was greeted by Paul Scharner's head at the far post.
Friedel parried the defender's close-range header and then produced another smart stop five minutes later to deny Wilson Palacios' long-range strike.
now over
Kapo then blazed an effort over the crossbar from 12 yards but Villa posed Wigan problems on the counter-attack with the pace of Agbonlahor and Ashley Young a looming threat.
Carew came on for the injured Barry eight minutes into the second half and the towering Norway striker received a rapturous reception from the contingent of Villa supporters.
He did not take long to make his mark as it was his deft flicked header from a right-wing corner which gave Agbonlahor the easiest of tasks to scuff the ball almost apologetically into the back of the net from inside the six-yard box.
Five minutes later, Agbonlahor returned the favour by reaching the left-hand byline and teeing up a fine cross which Carew needed no second invitation to head home at the far post for the easiest of goals.
Wigan's response was encouraging but they spurned a series of half chances and it was fairly obvious the game was now over as a contest.
Villa should have had a fourth nine minutes from time when skipper Martin Laursen strode out of defence and carried the ball deep into Wigan territory but his pass to Agbonlahor should have come sooner and the home defence regrouped.
However, a fourth goal did arrive in the last minute when Sidwell- an 84th-minute replacement for Stiliyan Petrov - found the space to place a curling right-foot shot past Kirkland and into the top corner.
