Liam Marshall scored twice as Wigan Warriors hit back from a double-figure second-half deficit to sink Hull KR 24-20 and return to the Betfred Super League summit after a thrilling top-of-the-table clash at the Brick Community Stadium.
A showdown that spectacularly lived up to its billing was shaped by yellow cards for Joe Burgess and Jai Whitbread which helped Matt Peet's defending champions to hit back from behind and reclaim pole position with two games of
the regular season remaining.
Rovers were left shell-shocked after Burgess had earlier finished off a 90-metre counter-attack in front of their jubilant fans early in the second period in what had looked set to prove the defining moment of the match.
But just as Burgess' harsh yellow for holding down in the tackle had seen Wigan claw back in contention before the break, so Whitbread's high tackle on Tyler Dupree paved the way for the hosts to stir and Marshall's late brace ultimately settled a rip-roaring contest.
Despite their disappointment, Rovers, who were hit by the loss of full-back Niall Evalds to a calf injury in the build-up, will take great heart from a performance that underlines their status as a genuine threat in the upcoming post-season play-offs.
The visitors had quickly got to grips with the occasion, Matt Parcell crashing over for the opener after Adam Keighran was penalised for impeding Ryan Hall, then Mikey Lewis bulling through two Wigan tackles to add to his earlier conversion to put his side 10 points up.
But the pivotal moment of the first period arrived when Jai Field's surge over the halfway line was halted by Oliver Gildart and Burgess appeared to be harshly penalised for holding his opponent down.
Minutes later, Abbas Miski got on the end of Field's looping pass to go over in the corner, then the hosts moved back within two as a brilliant run from Bevan French ended in him delivering the ball for Junior Nsemba to cross unchallenged.
Lewis kicked Rovers back six clear with a pair of penalties either side of the break, before Rovers seemed to have summoned the game's defining moment as Peta Hiku collected Harry Smith's loose pass and galloped clear before feeding Burgess to cap a stunning counter-attacking try.
Burgess was a fingertip away from a second interception as Wigan became increasingly ragged in their bid to get back into the match, but they got their reward after a scrappy passage of play when French darted onto his own clever kick to score.
Keighran kicked Wigan back within six, then Peet's men brutally exploited their second period of numerical advantage as Field sent Marshall over in the left corner to pile the pressure on their opponents, seeking a win that would all but have sealed their best ever Super League finish.
Drawing on all their recent trophy-winning experience, Wigan duly summoned a match-winning move that befitted such a stirring contest. With 12 minutes left on the clock, an end-to-end move involving Jake Wardle and the outstanding Nsemba ended in Marshall going over again for his match-clinching second.
Wigan head coach Matt Peet: "We'll have to be better than that - that (performance) won't win us anything. I thought the quality of the game was intense. It was an 80-minute arm-wrestle, it was in the balance and it was a pleasure to be a part of.
"It was a great game right from the start and both teams delivered. Hull KR were the better team in the first half and we had to improve to get back into it. It could have gone either way and I was thinking, if we get beaten here I'll still have been proud to be a part of this game."
Hull KR head coach Willie Peters: "When you finish four points behind Wigan and you've been down to 12 men twice, you've done all right and there are so many positive things we can take out of that performance.
"Naturally the players are disappointed because they put a lot of effort into that game. We got in front and we should have closed the game out but we had 12 men twice and that hurt us. We went more than toe-to-toe and they will be looking over their shoulders, that's for sure."
The Betfred Super League continues on Saturday, with Warrington Wolves facing St Helens (3pm) and Salford Red Devils taking on Catalans Dragons (5.30pm) and both live on Sky Sports+.
Hull KR travel to Leigh Leopards on Friday September 13, the penultimate week of the regular season, with Wigan Warriors hosting Leeds Rhino the same evening. Stream Betfred Super League and more with NOW.
Sky Sports+ has officially launched and will be integrated into Sky TV, streaming service NOW and the Sky Sports app, giving Sky Sports customers access to over 50 per cent more live sport this year at no extra cost. Find out more here.
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