Preston edge Derby day to keep play-off hopes alive

Blackburn went into this Lancashire derby as favourites, with Preston boss Alex Neill quoted before the game saying Preston are in a “transitional period”.

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Blackburn manager Tony Mowbray chose to rest influential 17-year-old Harvey Elliot, with Bradley Dack coming back into the starting XI following an ACL injury which kept him out for over a year.

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Preston’s ‘transitional period’ was emphasised with a line-up containing 5 January signings.

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Blackburn began the evening in 7th, 5 points behind 6th placed Bournemouth, while Preston sat a further 3 points behind in 12th.

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Rovers had the first chance of the game when former Leeds man Barry Douglas fizzed in a free kick from the left-hand side, towards the back post which spooned off of the boot of Daragh Lenihan as he tried to guide it back across the goal mouth.

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Craig Cunningham fired Preston ahead in the 19th minute with an emphatic strike from the corner of the 18-yard box. He found himself completely unmarked on the left-hand side and he was found with a smart switched ball from Browne, before firing the ball impressively into the far corner from range.

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Blackburn nearly got back into it in the 36th minute, when a cute flick followed by a well- weighted through ball from Dack put Armstrong in on goal, but he fired narrowly wide from a difficult angle.

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A flurry of action at the end of the first half began with Preston’s second of the evening. Liam Lindsay’s first Preston goal came from a corner in the 43rd minute, with the defender rising highest and glancing the ball into the net despite being surrounded by four Blackburn defenders.

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Blackburn hit back almost immediately when a swift break down the right-hand side resulted in Gallagher going down in the box from the challenge of Hughes. Referee David Webb needed a lengthy pause and the opinion of his assistant to come to his decision – Penalty! Adam Armstrong confidently bent the penalty into the right side of the net.

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Armstrong came close to equalising in the third minute of first half added time, when an inviting low cross from Barry Douglas was flicked goalward and required a sublime reaction save from Preston keeper Iverson.

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The second half was a more subdued affair, characterised by a strong Preston press which made life difficult for Blackburn, and forced the Rovers keeper Kaminski into a few awkward situations with the ball at his feet.

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Preston came close to a third early in the second half when they won the ball back on the edge of the box, and set up a shot for Daniel Johnson, which deflected narrowly wide.

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Blackburn began to impose themselves in the second half, with substitutes Dolan, Downing, and Elliot having a distinguished impact on proceedings, as Blackburn began to muster some efforts on goal.

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Preston Substitute Riis had the best opportunity of the second half as he bounded through on goal, skipping past a couple of Blackburn defenders, before sending a tame effort straight at Kaminski.

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Preston had a goal disallowed late on, when Potts’ effort from the edge of the box deflected off Lenihan and into the net, but fourth official Phillip Dermot rightly judged the Preston man to be in an offside position as the ball struck him.

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Ref watch – David Webb did well to wave away a Ched Evans dive in the box in the first half.

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He did mistakenly award Blackburn an early freekick for a handball which appeared to come off the Preston defender’s chest.

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Man of the match - Liam Lindsay. Defended astutely when Blackburn applied pressure periodically and got what turned out to be the winning goal.