West Brom ‘shut down’ Preston North End tactically in 0-4 defeat says forward

Preston North End forward Liam Millar says West Brom nullified the Lilywhites in Saturday’s 0-4 drubbing at Deepdale.

Ryan Lowe’s men tasted Championship defeat for the first time this season - in brutal fashion. Carlos Corberan’s men scored two goals in either half and stormed to three points in Lancashire. Darnell Furlong scored a crisp opener from distance after four minutes, before Alex Mowatt punished a Jordan Storey error on the half-hour mark.

PNE’s boss changed shape a couple of times in the second half, but Matt Phillips would fire home Albion’s third before Kyle Bartley rubbed salt into Preston wounds with a late fourth. Millar was back in the side for the Baggies encounter and reflected openly on the defeat post-match, with West Brom’s game plan praised.

“It was obviously not our best performance,” said Millar. “I thought West Brom were very organised and they honestly played great in the game. So, we weren’t great, but sometimes you’ve just got to put your hands up and I thought that opponent was quite good today. We have just got to do everything we can to put it right on Wednesday, learn and move on from the game. I think they had a strict game plan of how to shut us down and it worked.

“The Championship is just like that isn’t it? I think Southampton lost 4-0 and (5-1) and then beat Leeds 3-1; it is just how the Championship works. You can win, win, win and then just lose. I think that is why it’s important for all of us to just to be alright, stay focused on our path and in our goals and everything will come together. It is one game and you’ve got to take your learnings from it. I think we have a lot of experienced Championship players in the side and they know how it works.”

North End are back in midweek action as they head to fellow high flyers Leicester City on Wednesday night. Millar recognises the challenge ahead is stern, but knows PNE must head to the King Power Arena with belief and a real determination to put in a much improved display.

“Leicester are a top team, who came down from the Premier League last year,” said Millar. “To go there is obviously difficult, but we have to go there, show a reaction and do the best we can. We have got 20 points from nine games; that is a good start. We are still four points clear of third at the moment, so we have to not get too down about ourselves. We’ll stay professional, stay focused and everything will come back around.”