Highlights: Blackburn Rovers 1 PNE 2 Liam Lindsay headed home Preston’s goal in the 90th minute of the Lancashire derby at Blackburn to move them up to fourth place in the Championship.
This defender appeared in the box to finish from Ben Whiteman’s cross, ending a streak of three consecutive away defeats.
Sammie Szmodics previously became the first player in the Championship to amass double figures this season, his 10th of the season canceling out Alan Browne’s brilliant strike, gave Preston the lead at half-time.
Blackburn hit the crossbar twice in the first half but Preston were always a threat on the break and hit the post themselves before Lindsay’s late header.
Relive Preston’s impressive win over Blackburn These two teams have gone in different directions recently, with Preston seemingly fading after a bright start to the season and Blackburn winning four out of five previous match.
Preston were promoted thanks to a first win in eight games, against Coventry last weekend, while Rovers have now lost five of eight home games this season.
Blackburn started on the front foot, but Duane Holmes missed the first big chance at the other end, before Arnur Sigurdsson’s wing volley from Tyrhys Dolan’s pinpoint cross hit the Preston crossbar.
But North End resisted Rovers’ dominance and took the lead after 35 minutes.
The ball was played to Brad Potts on the right, and his quick cross found Browne’s path.
The Republic of Ireland midfielder controlled beautifully with the outside of his head, then fired a rocket shot that defeated goalkeeper Leopold Wahlstedt.
Rovers again went close just before the break when Dolan neatly teed up Andrew Moran, whose rising drive clipped the bar and flew over.
Jon Dahl Tomasson’s side were level within four minutes of the restart when Moran’s pass found Szmodics, and he neatly slipped his shot through the legs of keeper Freddie Woodman.
Szmodics was denied by Woodman with a similar chance as Rovers pressed forward in search of a winner, but Holmes shot against a post and Milutin Osmajic had an effort disallowed for offside to remind the home side that Preston were a real threat on the break.
Blackburn’s tendency to leak late goals struck again as the clock ticked down, with Whiteman crossing and Lindsay heading home – the 11th time this season Rovers have conceded in the final quarter of an hour.
Blackburn head coach Jon Dahl Tomasson told BBC Radio Lancashire: “We’re extremely disappointed to lose the game.
I don’t think we deserved to lose the match looking at our overall performance.
“We were the better team and created more chances than our opponents.
Perhaps we missed clear opportunities in the final third and fell behind – in doing so, we I immediately created the chance.
“We should have done it better.
in the first half, but we still hit the bar twice in this first half.
” On Szmodics: “He’s doing really well.
He’s one of the older guys, at 28, but he also plays like a senior player, helping the team and scoring goals, work hard.
derby, you will always have fun.
The guys are amazing.
“We were under a lot of pressure and the way they played.
They’re a good team, but we overcame it all.
“I’m disappointed with the goal [conceded] but the boys showed real Character and desire, a never say die attitude, and scored the winning goal in front of our fans in stoppage time, you probably couldn’t have done better .
“We are a strong and determined team that can beat some teams,
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