Nicolas Anelka and Salomon Kalou grabbed a brace each as clinical Chelsea cemented their position at the top of the table with a thumping victory at Wigan.
The Latics stay rooted to the foot of the table, but this performance was a million times better than last week's capitulation to Blackpool.
The end result may have been the same, but Roberto Martinez's men bossed this encounter for the first 30 minutes and were unfortunate not to have been in front by the time Chelsea found their feet.
Hugo Rodallega saw plenty of the ball and forced Petr Cech into a couple of saves.
But it was the visitors who took the lead on 34 minutes when Ashley Cole overlapped down the left and his pull back found Frank Lampard.
The England midfielder shot was saved by Chris Kirkland but the ball rolled out to Florent Malouda, who couldn't miss from six yards.
Martinez cut a frustrated figure at the break, but he and his team were demoralised by a quick one-two by Anelka at the start of the second period.
First the striker ran onto a lovely through ball from John Obi Mikel and drove past Kirkland.
Then he was on hand to apply the finishing touch after Drogba had flicked back Malouda's cross from the left wing.
With over half an hour remaining, the Latics could have thrown in the towel but they kept up the fight and came close to pulling one back on a couple of occasions.
James McCarthy saw a shot drift pass Cech and back off the far post but Mauro Boselli's goal from the rebound was chalked off for offside.
Salt was applied to the Wigan wounds in the closing stages when Drogba laid number four on a plate for Kalou.
Kalou nodded home number five in the dying seconds and Yossi Benayoun swept home the sixth on the whistle.