Ben Watson put his name in the history books when he headed in the last-minute winner, and the Latics held on for the final three minutes to lift the trophy.
Manchester City played their customary narrow 4-2-3-1 with Yaya Toure and Gareth Barry holding midfield. Wigan Athletic started in a 3-4-3 formation with James McCarthy as an emergency right wing-back.
Wigan needed relief from early pressure and found it in Kone, who played a sideline-to-sideline target-man role initially to help his side grab a foothold in the game.
The Ivorian has been a fantastic signing for Roberto Martinez and has made a name for himself as a complete forward. All of his skills were on show on Saturday, as he worked hard to ensure his side didn't fall under the cosh.
He dropped down out of the reach of the centre-forwards, drifted wide and double-teamed the full-backs and manipulated the channels well, which allowed Wigan to get their foot on the ball and calm the nerves.
Mancini's narrow 4-2-3-1 formation thrives on using three No. 10s who start narrow and then dart wide in an effort to find space. On paper, the advantage is twofold: Meet the full-back square on and allow the double-team with the corresponding full-back.
City passed the ball horizontally across the 18-yard area but rarely found the opportunity to play a penetrating through-ball. This central congestion played right into the hands of Wigan, which used three centre-backs to close out the area. They fed the ball quickly to their wing-backs, who were free.
Even Pablo Zabaleta, who ventures forward, makes diagonal runs inside rather than out. As good as he is, he adds to the issues that cloud City's effectiveness in the final third in this respect.
Callum McManaman stayed touchline wide on the right in an advanced area, while Roger Espinoza did the same from left wing-back.
They stretched the pitch so wide that City's narrow formation could do nothing about the first pass out of Wigan's defence (usually to the wing-back), and it immediately left them on the back foot.
The clever movement of Shaun Maloney and Kone allowed McManaman space to run, and the young Englishman gave Gael Clichy a difficult time.
It didn't take long for Roberto Mancini to flinch. The score was 0-0 at halftime, but Wigan were obviously the better side and Mancini prepared James Milner to come on at the interval.
Seven minutes in, the Englishman was on the field at the expense of Samir Nasri (who was useless), and his brief was to maintain the width on the right side.
Wrong. Unfortunately, Milner's first involvement was to lose the ball and expose his side to the counter, and his play didn't get any better. Espinoza, as far as makeshift left wing-backs go, was excellent in cancelling him out.
Jack Rodwell replaced Carlos Tevez, freeing up Yaya Toure to go further forward. He received more space to work in, but Martinez responded instantly.
He switched from 3-4-3 to 3-5-2, installing a three-man midfield wall to stop Toure getting closer than 25 yards from goal. Ben Watson was brought on to play the deepest role, and McCarthy and James McArthur switched positions.
After Zabaleta's red card, Martinez switched again. He chose 4-3-3 (with McArthur now at orthodox right-back) and freed his midfield to go forward and dominate in the opposition's half.
This was a tactical victory for Martinez, and his players appeared to be comfortable with his frequent changes. Props to him for having them so well-drilled.
Link: 'Bob' Martinez's Wigan makes history winning the FA Cup
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