Blackburn Rovers 3-1 Wigan Athletic

Blackburn midfielder Ben Marshall doubled his goal tally for the club

Ben Marshall scored two sublime goals as Blackburn came from behind to beat Lancashire rivals Wigan at Ewood Park.

The winger powered a 25-yard shot into the bottom corner and curled in from the edge of the box either side of Jordan Rhodes's downward header.

James Perch's volley put Wigan ahead after Ivan Ramis had blazed a first-half penalty over for the visitors.

Luke Varney almost added another for the hosts when he raced through but goalkeeper Scott Carson saved superbly.

If fans were hoping for a repeat of the last meeting between the pair at this ground, which finished 4-3 to Blackburn in May, they may have been disappointed with a first half that saw both teams cancel each other out for large periods.

The lively Rhodes had Rovers' best chance inside the opening five minutes, but his header was tipped around the post by Carson.

After few clear-cut opportunities, the game came to life seven minutes before the break when Wigan were awarded a spot-kick, despite protests from the Blackburn players that Callum McManaman had run into the leg of Bolton loanee Alex Baptiste.

However, the visitors could not take advantage as Ramis stepped up and blazed the ball at least a foot over the crossbar.

The miss seemed to spark some life into Wigan as McManaman found some space in the box, but his shot was well saved by Robinson before the winger sent in a cross which was headed over by captain Emmerson Boyce on the stroke of half-time.

Wigan started the second-half where they had left off in the first, but this time had something to show for it as former Newcastle defender Perch's shot from outside the box crept through the legs of a couple of defenders and low into the left corner.

The lead only lasted for two minutes as the visitors failed to clear Craig Conway's cross properly and Marshall chested the ball down and drilled it into the bottom corner.

Scotland international Rhodes then scored his third goal in as many matches to turn the game on its head as he nodded in Conway's free-kick.

After such a poor first half from Blackburn, Gary Bowyer's men were now dominant as Marshall was denied by Carson's fine one-handed save and Varney could not turn in Marcus Olsson's low cross.

However, former Leicester man Marshall capped an excellent performance with another goal nine minutes from time as he picked up Olsson's pass and bent a shot low into the right corner.

The win for Blackburn, their third of the season, sees them move up to eighth in the Championship table while Uwe Rosler's Wigan drop to 16th.

Blackburn manager Gary Bowyer:

"I thought it was a hell of a good game. Two very good teams having a right good go at each other. We're disappointed with the award of the penalty. If you look at it again, you see what happens.

"The way that we responded was good and obviously we were disappointed with the manner of the goal but again the character of them, they're a young team.

Wigan manager Uwe Rosler:

"I don't think we deserved that. I'm sitting here not being really unhappy in general about our performance. Of course there are periods in the game where we lost our control.

"But to sum it up, the decision before the second goal, I'm very, very unhappy with that. I think that turned the game in favour of Blackburn.

"We have to deal better with that free-kick situation. The game changed through a set piece and against a top team in this division, you have to be more ruthless.

"They are learning all the time and getting better and I think you saw that."