Wakefield 16-24 Wigan: Liam Marshall hat-trick helps send Wigan second

Reigning champions Wigan climbed up to second in Super League with a 10th win in 11 games to leave Wakefield Trinity still in possible relegation danger.

Liam Marshall's two first-half tries were cancelled out by the break after scores from James Batchelor and Jacob Miller made it 12-12 at half-time.

Marshall's converted hat-trick try put Wigan back in front before Ben Jones-Bishop's try then went unconverted.

Sam Powell's last-gasp try, improved by Zak Hardaker, wrapped up Wigan's win.

That lifted Wigan two points above Warrington, Hull and Salford, while Wakefield remain ninth, two points ahead of bottom side London Broncos, who lost at home to Leeds.

To add to their woes ahead of next weekend's trip to Challenge Cup winners Warrington, and the final-day home meeting with Broncos, Wakefield lost Bill Tupou (pectoral muscle) and Chris Annakin (groin ) to season-ending injuries.

Wigan had beaten Wakefield 46-16 when they last met at the DW Stadium in July, but Belle Vue is not a happy hunting ground for the Warriors, who had lost on their last three visits, 30-20 in April, 32-16 in 2018 and 32-0 in September 2017, as well as suffering an 11-try 62-0 loss here in 2016.

After having an early Liam Farrell try chalked off for a forward pass, Wigan went ahead on 20 minutes when Marshall scooped up a loose kick to run 80 metres for a breakaway try down the right.

Hardaker landed the conversion, but then missed when Marshall went over six minutes later from George Williams' pass.

Wakefield then got on the scoresheet when Miller's kick ricocheted nicely for Batchelor to scramble over, Danny Brough duly adding the extras.

Hardaker landed a penalty to restore Wigan's six-point lead, but Miller's try was allowed to stand on the stroke of half-time - and Brough's boot brought Trinity level.

Marshall's third try, also improved by Hardaker, left home coach Chris Chester incensed. After tapping the ball on his own 20-metre line before racing away to score, Chester believed Marshall was allowed to tap the ball too far away from the centre spot.

Marshall then had a fourth try denied by a marginal call. And, reprieved by that, Trinity were still not done. On-loan Wigan half-back Morgan Escare set up Jones-Bishop to score in the corner for his customary try in this fixture to make it 16-18, but Brough's kick crucially missed from the touchline.

That gave Wigan a little breathing space before Powell crossed for the clincher with almost the last play of the game.

Wakefield coach Chris Chester:

"I can cop a player being a metre away from the centre spot, but when it's six, seven metres away from the centre spot!!!

"I don't know how many officials were there, but there's a bloke behind the post and I don't know what his job is. You've got a referee who's on the spot and just let Liam Marshall tap it wherever he wanted.

"I don't know whether the rules have changed, but it's just a disgraceful call, a disgraceful call. It's a call you shouldn't get wrong. There's a line there to tell you where you should tap the ball."

(On injuries) "It looks like it. But we've got some cover there in Joe Arundel and George King and Jordie Crowther. So we've pretty much got that covered."

Wigan coach Adrian Lam:

"That was unbelievable from Liam Marshall. Moments like that inspire the team, when you're in a bit of a hole. The big picture for me was when Sam Powell scored, the relief and the joy.

"I knew it was going to come down to two points. We'd prepared for that. I wanted us to be in a bit of an arm wrestle that we came through together.

"That's just what we need now, a bit more belief in that area. It wasn't our best performance. But the dressing room's pretty excited at the moment. They understand.

"They've been prepped along the way how important this has been and the journey that we've been on to get here. I didn't want to mention the other side if we'd lost, a potential chance of missing out on the five together. That's how close it is."

Wakefield: Escare; Jones-Bishop, Lyne, Tupou, Hampshire; Miller, Brough; Kopczak, Wood, England, Batchelor, Kirmond, Tanginoa.

Interchanges: Randell, Green, Annakin, Tangata.

Wigan: Hardaker; Marshall, Sarginson, Gildart, Burgess; Williams, Leuluai; Clubb, Powell, Partington, Isa, Farrell, Smithies.

Interchanges: Navarrete, Greenwood, Byrne, French.

Referee: Scott Mikalauskas (RFL)

Fri 6 Sept: Leeds v Salford, St Helens v Huddersfield, Wigan v Catalans, Warrington v Wakefield

Sun 8 Sept: Hull KR v London Broncos, Castleford v Hull

Fri 13 Sept: Huddersfield v Catalans, Leeds v Warrington, Hull v St Helens, Wigan v Castleford

Sun 15 Sept: Wakefield v London Broncos, Salford v Hull KR