WIGAN, England (AFP) - Arsenal's return flight from Milan touched down in London in the small hours of Wednesday morning, yet even now Arsene Wenger's players must feel as if they are walking on air.

The implications of the north Londoners' stunning Champions League win at San Siro are still reverberating around Europe, which has been united in its celebration of a new footballing force.

But if anything can bring Arsenal's giddy stars down to earth with a resounding crash, it is Sunday's trip to Wigan's JJB stadium.

Wenger had little choice but to allow his squad to enjoy their moment in Milan but he knows better than most that the hard work starts now. For all the tributes to their flowing football, Arsenal are still far from guaranteed their first silverware since 2005.

There will be no easy matches in the quarter-finals of the Champions League while, perhaps more pertinently for Wenger, who has always maintained that winning back the English Premier League title is his top priority, his lead at the top of the table has been whittled down to a single point following a jittery recent run.

And if it seems inconceivable that the first English team to conquer Milan in their own backyard could come unstuck at lowly Wigan, Wenger will remind his charges that the last time Arsenal shocked the continent - with a 1-0 win at Real Madrid in 2006 - they promptly lost at Blackburn in their next league outing.

Small wonder, then, that the Frenchman's players are striving to put the heady events of last week out of their minds.

"It's fantastic to play in the Champions League and beat AC Milan but to come back in the Premier League to go to Wigan is not going to be easy," Mathieu Flamini, one of the stars at the Giuseppe Meazza, said.

"It's a tough game but we have to finish the job in the league now. It will be fantastic if we win at Wigan."

For all that Sunday's match has a treacherous look for Arsenal, who traditionally do not enjoy outings to English football's northern outposts, it would still be a shock if they did not extend their advantage over Manchester United to four points.

Wenger had looked desperately short of options following a series of injuries to key players in recent weeks, but the outlook is now sunnier.

Robin van Persie, who has made just one fleeting appearance for the club since December due to a series of muscular injuries, was an unused substitute in Italy and should be involved again at Wigan, while Kolo Toure and Tomas Rosicky are also close to returning.

"We have had lots of injuries but now players are coming back so it is all positive," Cesc Fabregas said.

"The spirit of the team is amazing, and we have to keep going. Now, though, we just have to be focused on Sunday's game - we have to go to Wigan and win there."

Arsenal's win in Milan left Mario Melchiot, the Wigan defender, looking rather sheepish.

The French defender had claimed last Sunday that Wenger's team were "cracking" under the strain of chasing two trophies, although his remarks that United's experience in title races will ultimately prove decisive could yet be proved right.

"As individuals the ability of Arsenal will never be the problem -- it's just their experience," he said.

"The experience will come down to Manchester United. But obviously it's going to be a tough game for us because they are one of the best teams in the league. I know this will be a great game to be involved in."