Preston North End 0 Blackburn Rovers 3 - Match report on a local derby shocker for PNE

It was the visitors' first victory in this fixture for five years and frankly it was far too easy for them.

Although North End were reduced to 10 men when Joe Rafferty was red carded for bringing down Sam Gallagher just before half-time - Adam Armstrong netting the resulting penalty - that was no excuse for the result.

They'd been second best throughout the first half, that 45th minute opener a reward for the way they had taken the game to PNE and bossed the play.

The visitors ran the second half, Ben Brereton doubling the lead in the 53rd minute before former Preston scholar Tyrhys Dolan rounded-off the night's scoring 14 minutes from time.

Rafferty's dismissal will see him suspended against Watford on Saturday, as will a fifth booking of the season for Alan Browne.

With a verdict on Darnell Fisher's FA charge due on Wednesday, he could join them on the suspension list.

So to say this was not a happy evening for PNE would be an understatement.

What will have alarmed the North End supporters watching on iFollow was the lack of creativity throughout and an apparent lethargic show from their side.

Chances were few and far between, the best falling to Daniel Johnson shortly before Blackburn's first goal - the visitors counter-attacked from that, leading to Rafferty's upending Gallagher in the box.

Browne's inclusion after coming out of self-isolation in place of Brad Potts was the only change made to the North End starting XI from Saturday's win over Sheffield Wednesday.

However there were changes on the bench, with Ben Pearson, Paul Gallagher and Josh Earl all missing.

Second-year scholars Lewis Coulton and Jacob Holland-Wilkinson joined Adam O'Reilly among the substitutes.

North End were second best all the way through the first half, the hope of getting through to half-time to be able to regroup dashed by Armstrong's penalty and the red card for Rafferty.

Much of the play was towards the PNE box with Rovers confident on the ball and moving it around well.

Brereton drove a shot across goal and wide of the far post early in the play.

Declan Rudd dived to his left to parry Darragh Lenihan's shot on the turn, the follow-up shot from Armstrong well blocked by Paul Huntington.

Armstrong caused plenty of problems with his pace and had a couple of sights of goal - one blocked by Darnell Fisher and the other disappeared over the bar after he had been allowed to drove through midfield..

North End's first meaningful chance came in the 44th minute and actually set the ball rolling to the visitors taking the lead.

Johnson found himself in plenty of space on the right hand side of the box and seemed to hesitate thinking he would judged offside.

He managed to get a shot away which was blocked, Rovers moving the ball up the pitch on the break.

Gallagher powered towards the box and really a tackle on him should have gone in on him long before.

Rafferty finally tried to challenge him a couple of yards inside the box, sending Gallagher to the floor.

Referee Tony Harrington pointed to the spot and pulled out the red card for Rafferty, judging the left-back to have been the last man.

Armstrong stroked the penalty right-footed into the bottom corner, Rudd going the right way but it was right in the corner.

A half-time substitution for PNE saw Potts replaced Scott Sinclair but within eight minutes of the restart they fell further behind.

Joe Rothwell was allowed to drive his way up the middle of the pitch to within sight of the box, before threading a pass through North End's back line to find the run of Brereton who stroked a first-time finish on the half-turn past Rudd.

The goal came a couple of minutes after Tom Barkhuizen had rolled inside off the left-wing and hit a right-foot shot from the corner of the box which flashed across goal and wide of the far post.

Rovers continued to boss play, North End seemingly content to sit behind the ball and limit the damage.

But they were undone a third time in the 76th minute as their former youth-team player Dolan got in on the scoring act.

Harvey Elliott's pass sent Brereton away down the right channel, he cut into the box and squared a pass for the unmarked Dolan to sweep a close-range finish into the roof of the net.

PNE: Rudd, Fisher (Storey 79), Bauer, Huntington, Rafferty, Ledson, Johnson (Stockley 83) Barkhuizen, Browne, Sinclair (Potts 46), Riis (Maguire 79). Subs (not used): Coulton, O'Reilly, Bayliss, Holland-Wilkinson, Ripley.

Rovers: Kaminski, Nyambe, Lenihan, Wharton, Douglas, Trybull (Davenport 60), Holtby (Downing 68), Rothwell (Elliott 60, Buckley 79), Gallagher, Brereton, Armstrong (Dolan 68). Subs (not used): Carter, Bell, Chapman, Pears.

Referee: Tony Harrington (Hartlepool)

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