The Salford Red Devils recorded their first win away to Wigan in 20 years, beating the Warriors 31-16 at the DW Stadium.
The Red Devils came into the game knowing that a win would lift them up to second in the table following the 30-10 victory of Widnes last weekend.
Salford were missing 6 players through injury and suspension, although they were able to welcome Gareth O’Brien back into the side, who has missed out with a head injury against Widnes.
The Red Devils made a lightning start to the game, and were soon in the lead, with Kris Welham breaking the Wigan line and going over in the corner to opening the scoring.
With the early momentum on their side, Salford nearly opened the Warriors up a few more times in the first 15 minutes, and halfway through the first period, they did extend the lead, as Niall Evalds elected to keep the ball in his hands on 5th tackle and found his way through the defence to score.
Just four minutes late and Devils had notched up their third try of the game, as leading scorer Ben Murdoch-Masila forced his way over to add to his tally.
The Red Devils continued to play expansive, attacking rugby league, and had a number of chances to extend the lead before half time, but the Warriors held on to keep the score at 0-16 to Salford at the break.
It didn’t take long in the second period for Salford to get the scoreboard ticking over again however, a perfectly weighted Michael Dobson grubber kick was pounced upon by Evalds for his second of the game.
It took just 5 minutes for the Red Devils to come up with the next score, with Greg Johnson finishing off a flowing move from right to left to go over in the corner.
With Salford in a commanding position, the hosts held something of a fightback, with Liam Marshall scoring to get the Warriors on the board, a try which was quickly backed up by another four-pointer from Ryan Sutton.
Lewis Tierney added another try for the Warriors to reduce the deficit to 12 points as Wigan clawed themselves back into the match.
It would be the Red Devils who would come out on top though, as Gareth O’Brien slotted a drop goal, followed immediately by a penalty, to push Salford to an unassailable lead.
With the away fans in fine voice, Salford saw the game out to record a landmark win against the champions.
Full time: Salford Red Devils 31 Wigan Warriors 16
Next up, the Red Devils welcome Hull KR to the The Salford Stadium in the 6th round of the Ladbrokes Challenge Cup
Red Devils: Evalds, Johnson, Welham, Jones, Bibby, Dobson, Lui, A.Walne, Tomkins, Tasi, Murdoch-Masila, Ryan Lannon, Krasniqi, Kopczak, Murray, Brining, O’Brien
