In-form Wigan Warriors put one hand on the league leaders' shield as they claimed their first win at Headingley in five attempts.

First-half scores from Thomas Leuluai and George Carmont put the Warriors in command but Chris Clarkson halved the deficit when he crashed over for Leeds Rhinos on the stroke of half-time.

Keith Senior continued the fightback after the break, but two Pat Richards penalties plus further tries from Harrison Hansen and Martin Gleeson gave the Cherry and Whites their first win at Leeds since 2008.

Leeds were caught out down their left side as early as the ninth minute after starting well. Stuart Fielden started the move when he shrugged off the tackle of Jamie Peacock in midfield and slung the ball right.

Gleeson's bullet pass sent Darrell Goulding scampering down the right and, as the cover arrived in the shape of Danny McGuire with Ryan Hall also in the vicinity, the Wigan winger angled a kick inside for Leuluai to dot down.

Richards tagged on the extras before Leeds almost mustered an immediate reply, with only Senior's loose carry denying them.

Carl Ablett then came up with a nasty head-high shot on the prodigiously talented Sam Tomkins. That upped the intensity in the game and Ryan Bailey was put on report in the 23rd minute for lifting his knee as he charged in to contact with Carmont.

Wigan, who are the league's top scorers with 141 tries, crossed again in 27th minute. Clarkson coughed up possession 20 metres from the Rhinos line and, a couple of tackles later as the ball was spun left, Paul Deacon and Sam Tomkins combined to send Carmont over on the crash.

The 32-year-old New Zealander did well to collect the pass, charge over under the last-ditch tackles of Kevin Sinfield and Brent Webb, and still manage to ground despite being on his back. Richards duly converted.

But Clarkson forced his way over on the half-time hooter, showing good endeavour in brushing Sam Tomkins to one side, after both Sinfield and then Webb, who provided the telling ball, kept the ball alive, enabling him to spin his way over for a try converted by Sinfield.

Andy Coley got 10 minutes in the sin-bin after going in late on Rob Burrow just after the break, but Leeds wasted the resulting opportunity, Webb fumbling out wide.

Leeds' pressure finally told in the 47th minute and they pulled level after Burrow kicked into the corner and then followed up with a great hit on Sam Tomkins, forcing a knock-on.

The loose ball was hoovered up and, with too much momentum in their favour, diminutive scrum-half Burrow, whose involvement was not yet finished, bolted from the resulting play-the-ball, showed a dummy wide and hit try scorer Senior on the bump. Sinfield's conversion left the score 12-12.

Richards booted the Warriors back ahead in the 52nd minute after Ablett was found guilty of laying on by referee Steve Ganson.

The Rhinos threw everything at Wigan, with Ablett getting to within a metre of the whitewash before being hauled down.

But Leeds were punished once again by the clinical Warriors in the 62nd minute. Sam Tomkins drifted left and popped a pass into a gap between Brett Delaney and Jamie Jones-Buchanan. Hansen, running a great line, scorched past full-back Webb to touch down.

Richards converted before Gleeson sneaked over in front of the Wigan fans, using Goulding as his foil as Webb and Danny Buderus allowed him to squeeze over from close range.

Hall grounded a Sinfield grubber during the closing stages, but the video referee ruled it out, but Richards put the game to bed with a late penalty.