Burnley 3-0 Preston North End - North End not good enough on the road as league leaders march on

Tella opened the scoring in the first half with a header before adding a quickfire double in the second half to take the game beyond North End, though the Clarets were always in control.

Ryan Lowe made one change for the game, enforced due to Ched Evans' four-match ban handed to the Welshman just the day before the game due to violent conduct in his previous game against Bristol City.

Ben Woodburn was his replacement, with Ben Whiteman left on the bench for the first time in Lowe's tenure and Daniel Johnson was left out of the squad entirely.

It took eight minutes for North End's first foray forward, they won a corner after Robbie Brady's cross was headed behind but nothing came of it.

15 minutes into the game PNE were behind. The Clarets took a corner of their own from the left side by former Lilywhite Josh Brownhill which was headed back to his feet by Ali McCann. The Burnley midfielder opened the angle up and clipped a ball in towards the near post where Tella was unmarked to head home.

Four minutes later Alan Browne hit the target for the visitors, Tom Cannon - who was having to battle for every single ball - got down the left side to square it to his captain who struck first time on his left foot into the arms of Arijanet Muric.

The home side were in total control of the game for the whole of the first half, both wingers - Nathan Tella and Anass Zaroury - causing all sorts of problem for PNE's wing backs.

Just after the half hour mark Freddie Woodman was called into action to keep the home side to one. Zaroury's cross from the left was met by Ashley Barnes who headed low at goal from less than 10 yards out but Woodman was equal to the effort.

Zaroury was again causing problems for the North End defence after 37 minutes, the ball falling kindly to him inside the box which he struck on the volley but again Woodman made a smart save low down at his near post.

PNE managed to hang on until half time being a goal behind, the home side in complete control and only guilty of not having more to show for their superiority.

Lowe made two changes to his side at the break, with Ben Whiteman and Troy Parrott on for the second half and his side had the first chance of the second period.

Cannon delivered the ball into the area for Browne to rise up and head but the Irishman could only direct it wide of the far post after 51 minutes.

One minute later Whiteman passed the ball straight to Zaroury under no pressure but the Moroccan couldn't keep his strike down on the angle.

Three minutes later however the Clarets would have their second. An attempted ball in behind the North End defence was nodded down by Liam Lindsay into the path of Ashley Barnes, who steered into the path of Tella making a run forward. The Southampton loanee took the ball on, chopped inside a desperate Lindsay who slid in, and fired into the bottom corner on his left foot.

Before Preston could catch their breath, they were even further behind. On 58 minutes Tella completed his hat-trick and again it was due to poor defending from the visitors. Muric's long kick forward hit the back of Lindsay's head as he was looking at Barnes alongside him, the ball presenting itself to Tella who struck from the edge of the box through the legs of Woodman in the centre of the goal.

Tella could have made it four after 63 minutes, racing through on goal again but this time bizarrely opting to try and play the ball past Woodman and into the path of Lyle Foster who had come off the bench for Barnes but Jordan Storey was there to intercept.

Ian Maatsen tried his luck from distance with four minutes to go but he couldn't keep the shot down.

The home side saw out the rest of the game comfortably, keeping possession and taking risks with some showboating, which they had the quality to pull off.

PNE Starting XI: Woodman, Storey, Lindsay, Hughes, Browne, Ledson (Whiteman, 45'), McCann, Woodburn (Parrott, 45'), Brady (Fernandez, 67'), Cannon (Onomah, 67'), Delap.

PNE subs: Cornell, Cunningham, Potts.Burnley Starting XI: Muric, Roberts, Beyer, Ekdal (Taylor, 81'), Maatsen, Cullen, Brownhill (Twine, 81'), Gudmundsson (Cork, 63'), Zaroury, Tella (Obafemi, 63'), Barnes (Foster, 61').

Burnley subs: Peacock-Farrell, Vitinho.