Preston North End turn on the style in 4-1 hammering of Blackburn Rovers

Ben Woodburn opened the scoring for PNE in the first half and a cool finish before Ched Evans made it two in the second half.

Blackburn pulled one back through Bradley Dack but Evans restored North End's advantage and Ben Whiteman finished off a well worked moved to make it four and put the game beyond doubt.

Ryan Lowe was forced into five changes to the side that lost 4-2 to Millwall before the World Cup break, with one further player out injured. He was without his captain Alan Browne, Andrew Hughes, Robbie Brady, Ali McCann, Emil Riis and Sean Maguire.

His first XI was not unfamiliar to a PNE lineup, but the bench was full of youth players or defenders, with just a handful of appearances shared across four youngsters.

In came Greg Cunningham, Alvaro Fernandez, Whiteman, Daniel Johnson and Woodburn.

But PNE showed no signs of having a weakened side as they quickly took control of the game, Ryan Ledson laying down a marker, just a few days after signing a new deal until 2025, as he executed a perfectly timed crunching tackle on Callum Brittain.

The visitors were the side on top for the opening quarter of an hour and got their rewards on 17 minutes. Ledson turned a loose ball forward into the feet of Evans whose pass for the onrushing Woodburn was weighted perfectly for the Welshman to coolly place beyond Thomas Kaminski to open the scoring.

The yellows kept looking for more goals, keeping the ball alive in the Rovers' third, cross after cross being recovered by North End as the home side did what they could to keep it out.

Sammie Szmodics had the first shot for Blackburn, his powerful drive on the half volley from around 30 yards sailing harmlessly over the bar after 32 minutes.

Brad Potts responded for PNE, linking up with Evans and getting into the area but his strike from a tight angle was blocked after 36 minutes.

Blackburn were claiming a penalty with three minutes to go to the break but referee Josh Smith adjudged Cunningham's tackle to be well timed, awarding a goal kick for the ball bouncing back off the Chile international to keep Preston's lead intact going into half time.

They wasted no time in adding to their advantage in the second half, Blackburn attempting to play out from a goal kick but dispossessed by Woodburn who was then felled. Johnson was up in support to keep up the attack and he rolled it into the path of Evans who found the back of the net just two minutes into the second half.

Woodburn was then thwarted as he struck for goal inside the area on 50 minutes but saw his effort blocked.

Whiteman was next to have a go, his curling effort from the right side of the box going just beyond the far post.

Despite their attempts, it was not North End who got the next goal. A cross from the left was kept alive by Ben Brereton Diaz and his poke landed kindly for Dack who volleyed the ball beyond Woodman and kept Rovers in with a chance, and 35 minutes still to play.

Preston were keen to hit back and Johnson set Brad Potts on his way, his shot looking for the top corner was turned behind by Kaminski after 57 minutes.

Six minutes later however, PNE restored their advantage. Cunningham's cross from the left was met by Evans who expertly steered his header into the corner to send the travelling support into raptures.

Not content with three, PNE made it four after 65 minutes. Fernandez's cross from the left came out to Johnson on the edge of the box who intelligently backheeled the ball into the path of Whiteman who had come charging forward.

He struck for the far corner and found it, his shot always bending away from a desperate Kaminski in the Rovers goal.

PNE managed the rest of the game well, with Rovers offering up very little.

Youngsters Finlay Cross-Adair, Jacob Slater, Mikey O'Neill and Noah Mawene were all brought on by Lowe for their first taste of a Lancashire derby, the latter making his North End debut.

PNE Starting XI: Woodman, Storey, Lindsay, Cunningham, Potts, Whiteman, Ledson, Fernandez (Slater, 90+1'), Woodburn (Mawene, 90+3'), Johnson (O'Neill, 90+3'), Evans (Cross-Adair, 86').

PNE subs: Cornell, Diaby, Bauer.

Blackburn Rovers Starting XI: Kaminski, Carter, Hyam, Wharton, Hedges, Morton, Travis, Szmodics (Dolan, 57'), Brittain (Mola, 8'), Dack, Brereton Diaz (Gallagher, 57').

Blackburn Rovers subs: Pears, Ayala, Buckley, Hirst.

Attendance: 17,690 (4,270 away)