Joe Ralls saw his opener for Cardiff cancelled out by strikes from Michael Jacobs and Josh Windass, but the
scores were levelled once more by Omar Bogle.
However, Evans’ curling effort 15 minutes from time ensured the points stayed in Wigan.
Cardiff were lucky not to be reduced to 10 men inside seven minutes when Ralls caught Evans just below
the knee with a reckless challenge that could easily have seen him given a red card rather than yellow.
And the visitors rubbed salt into the wounds by taking the lead on the 20-minute mark, through Ralls.
Joe Ralls celebrates scoring the first goal (PA)The midfielder was first to react to a parry out from David Marshall and smashed the ball past the
goalkeeper and two defenders on the line.
Wigan mounted a decent response, with Michael Jacobs seeing a shot blocked and Joe Garner’s effort
seemingly catching the hand of Aden Flint, only for the official to wave play on.
Paul Cook clearly thought it was a penalty and the Wigan boss received his side’s first yellow card on the
24-minute mark for voicing dissent in the direction of referee David Webb.
Cardiff kept Wigan at arm’s length for the rest of the half, and almost doubled their lead within a minute of
the restart.
Bobby Reid really ought to have converted from 12 yards, but steered his shot just past the near post and
Wigan almost took full advantage within two minutes.
Windass was tripped in the box by Flint for a stonewall penalty. The Wigan forward picked himself up and
took the kick himself but saw it hit the left-hand post and rebound away.
Cardiff were then forced into a goalkeeping change when Neil Etheridge limped off to be replaced by Joe
Day, and the first task for the new-boy was to pick the ball out of his net.