Challenge Cup: Leigh Centurions 22-10 Salford Red Devils

Harrison Hansen has scored seven tries in 15 appearances for Leigh this season

Championship side Leigh shocked Super League club Salford to reach the Challenge Cup quarter-finals.

Salford took an early lead with tries from Niall Evalds and George Griffin, but Ben Reynolds crossed for Leigh's first score of the game.

Harrison Hansen's try and two successful Reynolds conversions put Salford two points up at the break.

Daniel Mortimer crossed for Leigh to put them ahead before Drew Hutchinson's late try put the result beyond doubt.

The victory took Leigh into the quarter-finals for the first time since 2015, when they were knocked out by Warrington Wolves in the last eight.

Interim coach Kieron Purtill's side are fifth in the Championship, but came into the game having won their past nine games in all competitions.

They once again proved too strong despite facing higher-level competition, with former Cronulla Sharks stand-off Mortimer influential on his return from injury.

Salford, who reached the semi-finals last season, have now lost three successive games in all competitions, scoring just 20 points and conceding 112 over their winless run.

Leigh interim coach Kieron Purtill:

"Our boys are confident, they're playing well and a lot of our guys in there have a point to prove as well because the start of our year wasn't great.

"We've got some momentum going now, but we've still not won anything. We're not where we should be as a club so we've still plenty of hard work to do.

"We'll put the cup to one side now. Our main focus is top four, that's the priority for us, we've got four big games coming up over the next month."

Salford coach Ian Watson:

"I think the first 20 minutes we were completing between 90 and 100 per cent and after that it just fell right down and we made error after error.

"It was simple basic errors - not playing the ball properly and knocking on at dummy half.

"It's something that we to look at because we've made a couple in the last few games. We need to look at fixing it up fast."

Leigh: Mata'utia; Dawson-Jones, Crooks, Hall, Owens; Reynolds, Hutchinson; Bailey, Higham, Acton, Hansen, B. Thompson, J. Thompson.

Replacements: Mortimer, Larroyer, Richards, Dezaria.

Salford: Evalds, Olpherts, Welham, Sa'u, Johnson; Shorrocks, Littlejohn; Nakubuwai, Tomkins, Mossop, Hauraki, Griffin, Flanagan.

Replacements: Wood, Tasi, McCarthy, Kopczak.