Scoreline flattered us...but we'll take it - Wigan Athletic boss

Goals from Lee Evans and Michael Jacobs in the last 10 minutes made it eight unbeaten for Latics, who now move five points clear of the Championship relegation zone.

But Cook felt the winning margin flattered his side, who recorded a sixth successive clean sheet.

"It was a very, very tough game for us, I thought it was a really good game," the Latics boss said.

"You had two teams playing different approaches at times, different formations, and it was a challenge for both managers.

"I genuinely felt Blackburn had taken control of the game in the second half, and then we go and score the first goal at a vital time.

"Great credit to my players, they've got this never-say-die attitude at the minute, and they deserve all the credit for digging in.

"The second goal at the end gives in my opinion a totally false scoreline, it was never a 2-0 comfortable victory for Wigan.

"But we're delighted with the result and delighted with the three points."

Having played far better this season and lost, Latics will happily take being on the other side of the coin for a change.

And Cook says the recent resurgence is reward for the way his players have dug in and responded to adversity earlier in the campaign.

"It's hard to be a manager at this level, because you get abused for much of the time," he said.

"But then all of a sudden because your team wins a few games, you're suddenly a good manager again.

"The brutal reality is you're only as good as your players.

"And my players have never, ever let me down, over anything other than inexperience, naivety.

"When it comes to passion, desire, determination, attitude, they've always given me everything.

"I've never had a problem with any of them this season, never had a dressing-room row when I've had to question that side of things.

"I've certainly had plenty of rows questioning some of the stuff we've done, but that's football.

"To see them now playing against such strong sides, and limiting them to not many clear-cut chances, is great credit to them.

He also refused to heap too much praise on his backline, who last shipped a goal at Cardiff on February 15.

"It's a team game, you win as a team and you lose as a team," he added.

"You defend as a team and you attack as a team.

"I won't be singling people out, because it's not what I like to do."