Knowsley Road has been a Charnel house for Wigan Warriors since they last beat St Helens there in 2003. There was the nadir of a 75-0 slaughter in the Challenge Cup in 2005 and, although yesterday’s derby defeat was not on the same scale, a similar feeling of helplessness descended on the hapless Warriors.

An immaculate St Helens attack, inspired by the dreadlocked and dangerous Sean Long, overwhelmed them with nine tries. A 25-minute cameo by Kyle Eastmond, an 18-year-old Jason Robinson lookalike with a delicious audacity and lightning turn of pace that he demonstrated by touching down the last try from 40 metres, contributed handsomely to Wigan’s third away defeat of the season.

Eastmond, who has made only a handful of appearances, came on for James Roby and looked to the manner born, cajoling the players around him and providing impetus from acting half back. If Long was the master, Eastmond was a lively apprentice in his first derby. “He’s still building his confidence with me, but with each opportunity he shows more,” Daniel Anderson, the St Helens coach, said.

As exciting as some of the Saints youngsters are, Anderson noted that it is “still the old heads doing the job”. Yet with the half backs, Long and Leon Pryce, withdrawn for the last 15 minutes to conserve energy for Monday’s game away to Huddersfield Giants, there was no loss of momentum as Eastmond’s cut-out pass furnished Francis Meli with his second try before the youngster’s own coruscating finish.

Wigan began sluggishly, mustered a little defiance early in the second half, but petered out miserably. They were not helped by eye injuries to Pat Richards and Phil Bailey, while George Carmont suffered a hyperextension of an elbow. “We were ordinary and we need to recognise that,” Brian Noble, the Wigan coach, said. “We’re feeling a bit sorry for ourselves and we’ve four or five in doubt for Monday’s match [at home to Hull KR], but it’s important we respond.”

St Helens underlined the pivotal nature of next Friday’s visit by Leeds Rhinos, the leaders, with a classy, clinical display. Long was the architect with his clever distribution and precise kicking out of hand, while Jon Wilkin and James Graham, the Great Britain forwards, provided the nuts-and-bolts contributions up front.

Wigan were 22-0 behind at the break after being hurt by more than just the first-half hailstorm. Willie Talau seized Pryce’s reverse flipped pass before a show-and-go by Matt Gidley caught out the Warriors defence in the corner. With Mick Higham in the sin-bin for a professional foul, the Wigan tacklers, like Lilliputians trying to fell Gulliver, grabbed at the ankles of Maurie Fa’asavalu, who offloaded to the unstoppable Graham for the third try. Thomas Leuluai managed to pull down Paul Wellens’s shorts but failed to prevent the full back from adding another.

Despite opening the second period with a try by Michael McIlorum, Wigan quickly returned to their ill- disciplined ways. Long collected his own grubber kick to put St Helens beyond reach. His pass out to the right sent Meli clear for his first try and Pryce left Trent Barrett clutching at straws to dummy over for a sumptuous individual score. Carmont pulled a try back but it was little consolation.

Scorers: St Helens: Tries: Talau, Gidley, Graham, Wellens, Long, Meli 2, Pryce, Eastmond. Goals: Long 4, Eastmond. Wigan Warriors: Tries: McIlorum, Carmont. Goal: O'Loughlin.

St Helens: P Wellens; A Gardner, M Gidley, W Talau, F Meli; L Pryce, S Long; B Hargreaves, J Roby, J Graham, L Gilmour, C Flannery, J Wilkin. Interchange: M Bennett, P Clough, M Fa'asavalu,K Eastmond.

Wigan Warriors: P Richards; M Calderwood, D Goulding, G Carmont, L Colbon; T Barrett, T Leuluai; S Fielden, M Higham, A Coley, H Hansen, P Bailey, S O'Loughlin. Interchange: I Paleaaesina, M McIlorum, J Tomkins, E O'Carroll.

Referee: R Silverwood.