James McCarthy scored a brace as Wigan beat Blackburn 4-3 to move out of the relegation zone.
Latics claim crucial three points after 4-3 North West derby win
James McCarthy scored a brace as Wigan edged a seven-goal thriller against Blackburn to move out of the relegation zone.
Jason Roberts put Rovers ahead against his old side on 23 minutes after tapping in at the near post from a Brett Emerton cross.
But McCarthy equalised 12 minutes later from the rebound after Paul Robinson saved from Emmerson Boyce.
Hugo Rodallega then put the Latics ahead five minutes after the break after Ali Al Habsi's goal-kick was headed on by Victor Moses and the Colombian got between Robinson and Christopher Samba to slot home.
McCarthy doubled the advantage six minutes later after a pass from Charles N'Zogbia but Samba reduced the deficit soon afterwards, heading home a Morten Gamst Pedersen corner.
But Ben Watson made sure of the points on 65 minutes from the penalty spot after Mohamed Diame was fouled by Michel Salgado in the box.
The victory saw the Latics post their first win in eight league attempts and climb two points clear of the bottom three.
The hosts welcomed back captain Antolin Alcaraz after three weeks out injured and Moses was also handed a rare start, while Blackburn included Brett Emerton after he returned from Asian Cup duty with Australia.
Rovers have looked a decent outfit under Steve Kean and were hoping to get back to winning ways after successive defeats at the hands of Aston Villa and Tottenham.
Attacking threat
And it was certainly the visitors who provided most of the attacking threat in the early stages as Al Habsi was forced to repel a barrage of balls fired into his box.
The Latics keeper also did well to keep out a fierce free-kick from Pedersen, while Wigan relied mostly on set-pieces and counter-attacks.
So it was no surprise when Rovers took the lead in the 23rd minute through former Latics striker Roberts.
A lovely ball from Junior Hoilett found Emerton in acres of space down the right and he took the ball to the byline before pulling it back for Roberts, who could not miss from three yards.
Rovers continued to press and Benjani Mwaruwari should have done better with a header in front of goal from another terrific delivery by Pedersen, but in the 35th minute Wigan shocked their opponents by drawing level.
Moses did brilliantly to jink into the box and set up Boyce for a shot that was saved by Robinson, but the rebound fell for McCarthy, who tucked the ball away from a tight angle.
The pitch was cutting up very badly in the rain, but that did not stop Rodallega giving Wigan the lead within five minutes of the re-start.
Moses' flick-on from Al Habsi's goal-kick caught out Samba, allowing Rodallega a run on goal, and the Colombian neatly sidestepped Robinson before slotting in a precise finish.
No doubt
There was no doubt which team was on top now and six minutes later Wigan netted their third courtesy of some brilliant skill by McCarthy.
N'Zogbia was central to the goal, the midfielder first seeing a shot well saved by Robinson and then picking up the rebound. He eventually played in McCarthy, who juggled the ball from right to left foot before guiding a shot just inside the far post.
Just when Wigan seemed to have taken a stranglehold on the game, though, Blackburn pulled one back, and it could not have been simpler as Pedersen's corner picked out the head of the towering Samba.
The defender's goal came less than two minutes after McCarthy's strike, but incredibly they found themselves facing a two-goal deficit again in the 65th minute.
Salgado was adjudged to have tripped Diame just inside the area and Watson sent Robinson the wrong way from the penalty spot.
Two minutes later Tom Cleverley replaced Moses for his first appearance after a month out injured, with Blackburn bringing on Mame Biram Diouf and Dunn.
Diouf had a decent opportunity to reduce Rovers' arrears when he found space on the right of the area but he was closed down quickly by a mass of Wigan defenders and could only shoot wide.
Blackburn did manage a third in the 81st minute, though, and again it came from the penalty spot. Boyce lunged in recklessly on Dunn and the substitute picked himself up to slot the spot-kick beyond the outstretched arm of Al Habsi.
Rovers pushed hard for an equaliser through five minutes of injury-time but this time Wigan stood firm to hold onto a vital three points.
| Wigan Athletic |
Team Statistics |
Blackburn Rovers |
| 4 |
Goals |
3 |
| 1 |
1st Half Goals |
1 |
| 7 |
Shots on Target |
5 |
| 4 |
Shots off Target |
4 |
| 0 |
Blocked Shots |
3 |
| 4 |
Corners |
9 |
| 13 |
Fouls |
14 |
| 3 |
Offsides |
4 |
| 1 |
Yellow Cards |
2 |
| 0 |
Red Cards |
0 |
| 64.3 |
Passing Success |
68.2 |
| 30 |
Tackles |
25 |
| 83.3 |
Tackles Success |
80 |
| 46.2 |
Possession |
53.8 |
| 44.1 |
Territorial Advantage |
55.9 |
|
