Nobody outside of Stamford Bridge had anything but sympathy for Paul Jewell's side, and they arrived at The Valley on a wave of goodwill, as the football world indulged its long standing love affair with an underdog.
Charlton, so long seen, to the justifiable anger of their fans, as one of the smaller lights of the top flight, had already played the role of class bully a week earlier, spoiling Sunderland's opening day. For the neutrals, an away win was the only acceptable outcome.
The neutrals though, will have to go on hoping, because such was the extent of their dominance, any result other than a Charlton victory would have been quite impossible to justify.
Quicker in thought and action than their opponents from first kick to last, Alan Curbishley's men will be staring at the highlights this evening in a bid to understand quite how their margin of victory was not considerably larger.
Darren Bent, fresh from a two-goal debut performance and an England call-up in midweek, claimed the winner, three minutes from the break, rising high above a static defence to power home a far-post header.
The situation appeared far from dangerous when the ball first broke to Danny Murphy on the edge of the area, but the midfielder's vision and pinpoint cross were enough to create a goal from nothing.
In the run up to the break Bent could have claimed another, and similarly in the second half, when he diverted a Jonatan Johansson cross against the post from close range, but it was from more unexpected sources that the Addicks almost opened their account.
Before Bent had claimed his side's first, Chris Powell, back at the club from West Ham at the age of 35, and playing with a zest and enthusiasm that belied his age, hit the bar with a header and forced Mike Pollitt into a diving stop with a fierce drive.
Always a crowd favourite at the Valley, a Powell goal would have capped a very happy week in SE7.
Wigan were brave to a fault, chasing a game in which they never had much of a foothold, but never looked like salvaging much from their afternoon.
Down to the bare bones as the squad had been struck by injuries and the vagaries of the transfer market, they lacked the cutting edge needed to claim an equaliser.
If anything, it was Curbishley's men who should have doubled their lead, both through Bent's encounter with the woodwork, and a couple of smart chances from the impressively lively Alexei Smertin.
While the margin might have remained at a solitary goal, Charlton will probably not have an easier victory all season - a fact which will not have eluded Wigan boss Paul Jewell.
After heartbreak last week, this week brought him and his side a painful lesson in Premiership reality.
Man of the Match: Chris Powell - The veteran left-back gave a superb all-round display and almost capped his fine afternoon with a goal.