Roberto Mancini remains defiant as Roberto Martínez celebrates

• Mancini says rumours about his future are 'rubbish'
• Martínez hails 'incredible triumph' for Wigan

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The Manchester City manager, Roberto Mancini, leaves the Wembley pitch after his team lost 1-0 to Wigan in the FA Cup final. Photograph: Jon Super/AP

Wigan Athletic entered dreamland with a breathtaking FA Cup final win as a 90th-minute Ben Watson header beat Manchester City, giving a club whose inaugural Football League season was only in 1978 their first major honour.

The triumph was given poignancy as Dave Whelan, the chairman, broke his leg in the 1960 showpiece when playing for Blackburn Rovers. Watson himself had only recently returned from his own leg break, suffered against Liverpool in mid-November.

City's defeat closed a difficult 24 hours for Roberto Mancini following reports in Spain that he will be replaced by Manuel Pellegrini, the Málaga coach, in the summer. Asked about his future at the club, Mancini said: "It's rubbish, this speculation. I know football and anything can happen. In one or two weeks you will know if it's true or not. If it's not true then a lot of stupid things have been written. If it's true then I'm stupid.

"It's not my problem if I will retain my job. I will work at 100% always. I am sure that we have done a good job for three years. My contract is for four years – not one. You've continued to speak about this for the last six months and for the last two weeks, it's been too much."

Mancini then criticised the club's hierarchy for not nipping the speculation in the bud. "I don't know why the club didn't stop this," he said. "It's rubbish, this speculation. But we will see in two weeks – maybe one week, when the season ends if it's true." Asked if he had sought assurances from City, the Italian said: "No. There is no reason for me to ask."

Speaking earlier in the day, Pellegrini admitted he will almost definitely leave Málaga in the close season. "I have already made it clear that it is not ideal to end the season in this way. We are in unusual circumstances. I don't think any of us really want to leave Málaga," he said of the club's financial predicament. "Everyone would prefer to stay but unfortunately, the circumstances we are in don't allow that. Being linked to other clubs doesn't annoy me or make me feel uncomfortable – it's something that usually happens every year."

Khaldoon al-Mubarak, the City chairman, had flown over from Abu Dhabi but his day ended in disappointment as Watson grabbed the late winner. He said: "Unbelievable. The boys were fantastic from the first minute to the 95th. It's been a long six months for myself and it's been a dream – coming on in an FA Cup final and scoring the winner.

Whelan, whose Rovers side lost 3-0 to Wolverhampton Wanderers in the final in which he suffered his injury, said: "It's fantastic. I had a dream and didn't publish it. I said we would get Blackburn in the final after we beat Everton but Blackburn lost. Then I thought we would get Man City in the final and win 1-0. The dream has come true." Whelan hailed Callum McManaman, the 22-year-old who drew criticism for a tackle on Newcastle's Massadio Haïdara in March, following a man-of-the-match display. "I think he's a real diamond of English football," he said.

Wigan visit Arsenal on Tuesday evening as they try to avoid relegation, giving Roberto Martínez little time to saviour the triumph. "It's an incredible moment. At half-time we were all really down as we thought we had played really well in the first half," he said.

Vincent Kompany, the City captain, remained magnanimous. "There is no need to look for excuses," he said. "Wigan deserved to win it, congratulations to them. We have to come back, we'll have plenty of occasions to win it again."