A 64-year-old man struggled with intruders after he came home in the middle of the burglary.
The victim suffered minor injuries as he successfully snatched back a laptop computer from a stranger he confronted on the stairs.
An accomplice then also appeared but the pair fled the house in Ormskirk Road, Newtown, empty handed.
Police toda
y appealed for information about the broad-daylight raid which happened last Saturday afternoon and also repeated their recent warnings about keeping homes secure despite the hot weather.
The victim had accidentally left his front door unlocked after popping out for just a few minutes. On returning at around 4.30pm he entered the hallway to come face to face with a man walking downstairs holding the house's laptop.
The home owner shouted at the intruder to hand the computer over at which point the burglary shouted upstairs and a second man appeared.
There was a brief struggle in which the victim wrested the laptop from the first man's grasp and the pair ran out of the front door and made off down the side streets of Newtown.
The first man was white, in his mid-40s, with a shaven head, wearing light-coloured jeans and a blue T-shirt. His accomplice was younger and wearing dark trousers.
Pemberton neighbourhood inspector Peter Clarke said: "It is distressing that on a Saturday afternoon someone thinks they can just walk into a home and steal items. While the occupant was very brave in confronting the intruders we cannot recommend that members of the public put themselves in danger.
"As far as security is concerned we do not want to cause public alarm, but this incident highlights the need for keeping properties locked, even if stepping out momentarily. This was clearly an opportunist crime.
"Residents should be mindful of the security risks when opening doors and windows to ventilate homes in hot weather.
"As far as this incident is concerned we would very much like to speak to anyone with information."
Contact police at Pemberton on 0161 856 7188.
