Luke Molyneux looked to have an early decent shout for a penalty when Barrow stopper Paul Farman dashed out and appeared to clip him in the area - although referee Seb Stockbridge was having none of it.
It didn't deter Rovers though as it wasn't long before they were celebrating the opener - and Molyneux played a large part in it. He recycled a free-kick that Owen Bailey fed across goal and there was Joseph Olowu to turn home from a few yards out. Incredibly, the lead was doubled almost immediately from kick-off as Kyle Cameron's awful pass was pounced on by Molyneux who finished with aplomb.
Rovers looked to be holding their hosts at arms-length right until the cusp of half-time when Emile Acquah got the slightest of touches to an inswinging corner to reduce the arrears to 1-2.
The second half was far from easy on the eye, with genuine chances at a premium until Molyneux killed off any Barrow comeback with his second of the night. He played a quick one-two with Ethan Ennis from a corner before unleashing a cross-shot that looped over Farman to seal a vital win.
It moves Rovers up to second in League Two, nine points behind leaders Walsall. Here's our Rovers player ratings from Cumbria:
13. Patrick Kelly 6
A few chances to further inflict misery on the hosts but just picked the wrong pass out. Photo: Craig Hawkhead/AHPIX LTD
14. Jordan Gibson 6
Sub almost scored a fourth with his first touch but just directed a volley wide. Photo: Tony Johnson
15. Rob Street 6
Showed a glimpse of his quality as soon as he entered the field, teeing up Gibson. Photo: Andrew Roe/AHPIX LTD
16. Billy Sharp 6
On for the final ten minutes but wasn't enough time to fashion a goalscoring chance for the veteran. Photo: Howard Roe/AHPIX LTD