Matty Peet reflects on Wigan Warriors' victory over Salford Red Devils in the Challenge Cup and shares his views on the Thomas Leuluai tackle

His side produced a 20-0 victory to progress to the quarter-finals of the Challenge Cup.

Peet believes the game wasn’t as straightforward as it looked, and his team needed to do a number of things right to avoid being dumped out the competition.

He said: “It was a challenging game. I think the start of the game was crucial, Salford are a team who had the potential to turn us over tonight if we were the slightest, they throw a lot at you in terms of attacking shape and ball movement.

“We had to be at our best defensively to get the win. It’s what we have been focusing on, off the back of leaking a few too many points. If you are going to be considered a serious team, you need to be consistently strong.

“We don’t want to be known as a team who scores a lot but has a leaky D, so it was important we changed that quickly.

“It’s (The Challenge Cup) is an exciting thing that runs in the background, and although you don’t want to go over the top, it’s one step further tonight and it would’ve devastating to lose, that’s what I do know.

“It’s nice to move on. As soon as you draw another Super League team, and one who went to Leeds and won, you know it’s game on.

“This was my first Challenge Cup game, so it was a fresh feeling. I like being out my comfort zone and it certainly felt like that today knowing that if we didn’t get the performance we would’ve been dumped out the cup.”

Thomas Leuluai was put on report during the match for his tackle on James Greenwood, which saw the Salford man leave the field injured.

“I’m not sure what to make of it yet,” Peet added.

“I think it looked awkward, but in no way did I think there was any malicious intent. I’m hoping it was viewed on with common sense, not the end result. There’s no malice in that as far as I’m concerned.”

Kai Pearce-Paul left the pitch with an injury early on during the game.

Peet isn’t certain of the full extent of the damage but was pleased by how his team adapted.

“I’m not too sure, it’s a leg injury, it needs assessing,” he explained.

“Willie (Isa) and John (Bateman) shared that back-row and centre spot. I’ve mentioned a lot about us being adaptable, it is an important part of the modern-day game and how you put your squad together.

“When you’ve got players who can interchange during the game, it is crucial. When you can do it without losing flow, it shows your team is in a decent place.

“I thought a few players had one of their best games, and Cade (Cust) was definitely one of them. I thought he played with narrow focus.

“The fact Salford put a lot of attention on Jai (Field) opened up space for everyone else, which is credit to him. That’s something we have to be ready for as a team. I thought Sam Powell was another who ran and played on the front foot.”