This latest Old Trafford drubbing for their Lancashire neighbours brought United's goal tally against Wigan to 23 in their last six games and took them to the top of the Premier League table for the first time this season.
Yet this match did live up to that old footballing cliche, a game of two halves. Wigan, crowding midfield, with only Marcus Bent up front, frustrated United in the first period when nothing went right for the hosts.
They lost Louis Saha as a substitute through injury during the warm-up and within the first half-hour saw Nemanja Vidic and John O'Shea join the Frenchman on the sidelines.
United also had a good appeal for a penalty turned down in the fifth minute when Michael Brown barged over Cristiano Ronaldo in the Wigan box, only to see referee Mike Riley wave play on.
The Portuguese winger had been trying to capitalise on the situation after Wigan's Salomon Olembe had deflected Carlos Tevez's right-wing cross goalwards with shot-stopper Chris Kirkland producing a tremendous acrobatic save to keep the ball out.
But it was a different United after the interval.
Anderson started to impress after replacing the injured Vidic, and, up front, Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Tevez began to buzz.
United served notice of their resurgence in the 52nd minute when Ryan Giggs hit the Wigan bar with a 15-yard shot after the visitors had only partially cleared Ronaldo's cross.
United had only two minutes to wait before breaking the deadlock.
Rio Ferdinand found Rooney, whose glorious lay-off enabled Anderson to pick out Teves on the right side of the Wigan box.
The Argentinian brushed off challenges from Paul Scharner and Jason Koumas before rounding Kirkland and crashing his left-foot shot into the net from 12 yards.
United doubled their lead five minutes later. Giggs drilled his corner to Rooney on the right side of the Wigan penalty area. Rooney returned the ball to Giggs and, although his cross was superbly kept out by Kirkland after brushing off Kevin Kilbane's head, Ronaldo was free at the far post to nod home from close range.
Ronaldo made it 3-0 after 76 minutes with a goal as simple as it was special.
Gerard Pique released Rooney down the left and his inch-perfect low cross was nonchalantly swept in by Ronaldo from eight yards.
United completed the scoring eight minutes from time when Paul Scholes found substitute Danny Simpson marauding down the right and the young full-back's cross was majestically headed in by Rooney on the edge of the six-yard box at the far post.
Wigan's best chance of the game came when United goalkeeper Tomasz Kuszczak produced a magnificent one-handed save to keep out Wigan substitute Luis Antonio Valencia's shot in the 66th minute.