West Bromwich Albion 2 Preston North End 0 - Match report on a bad night for PNE at The Hawthorns

The damage was done in the first half as Hal Robson-Kanu took advantage of slack defending to fire the Baggies ahead in the sixth minute.

That was a lead increased just before half-time as Jake Livermore shot home from just inside the box, former PNE frontman Callum Robinson having a hand in both goals.

It was a foul on Robinson - on loan at Albion from Sheffield United - which saw Fisher sent-off in the 64th minute.

Fisher went in with a forceful challenge on Robinson near the technical area and his follow-through looked on the heavy side.

Premier League referee Kevin Friend pulled out the red card and the right-back is facing a three-game suspension.

But for Declan Rudd, the margin of defeat would have been greater.

Twice the goalkeeper saved from Robinson in one-on-one situations in the first half, then later in the game tipped a shot from Charlie Austin over the bar.

Few North End players did themselves justice on the night but Rudd certainly earned his money.

From conceding the opening goal, the visitors never looked like they were going to get anything from the game, Fisher's early exit doubling the size of the task.

North End's starting XI had shown three changes to the side which had won against Hull.

Alan Browne, David Nugent and the fit-again Daniel Johnson came into the team with Paul Gallagher, Scott Sinclair and the injured Josh Harrop dropping out.

In the first two minutes, Filip Krovinovic put a free-kick over the bar after Ben Pearson had brought down Matheus Pereira.

At the other end, Sean Maguire's ball in from the left found Tom Barkhuizen in the box but he scuffed his shot and the danger was cleared.

Albion took a sixth-minute lead, Robinson's cross from the left channel travelling across the box to find Robson-Kanu.

He chested the ball down and forced his way between Ben Davies and Andrew Hughes to hit a left-foot shot past Rudd.

Pereira and Krovinovic both put shots too close to Rudd who saved comfortably.

North End's first clear-cut chance came in the 24th minute when Hughes' cross from the left found Nugent who sent a header down into the turf and saw it bounce up over the bar.

Rudd produced a fine save to deny his former team-mate Robinson just before the half-hour mark, getting a strong hand to his shot frpom the right of goal, the ball bouncing across the six-yard box where Fisher cleared.

Nugent went so close to equalising with 32 minutes on the clock, his header from Fisher's well-struck cross travelling inches wide of the post.

For a second time Rudd denied Robinson, this time on the other side of the box.

Robinson got through on goal, Rudd quick off his line to narrow the angle and make a fine block.

North End needed to see it through to the interval at 1-0 but they conceded a second goal on the stroke of half-time.

Robinson's cross from the right was chested down by Robson-Kanu into the path of Livermore who struck a first-time shot on the half-turn past Rudd from just inside the box.

The home side weren't far away from a third eight minutes into the second half, Ahmed Hegazi's shot flashing just wide after a clearance had fallen to him outside the box.

If North End's job of finding a way back into the game wasn't already a tough ask, it got even tougher in the 64th minute when they were reduced to 10 men.

Fisher went lunging into a challenge on Robinson by the touchline, the follow-through if anything giving referee Kevin Friend a decision to make.

That decision was a straight red card, Fisher going over to check the condition of Robinson before heading down the tunnel.

Browne went to right-back as PNE adopted a 4-2-3 system, Barkhuizen and Maguire either side of Nugent.

As it became more of a containment job, Sinclair replaced Nugent, that seeing Maguire move into the middle.

In the 81st minute, a corner from Johnson was headed wide by Patrick Bauer.

Rudd, who was North End's best player on the night by some distance, saved well from Charlie Austin six minutes from time.

Fellow sub Kamil Grosicki had picked Austin out with a ball from the left, Rudd springing across to tip his shot over the bar.

The woodwork got in the way of PNE conceding a third late on, Rekeem Harper's shot from 20 yards coming back off the bar.

Albion: Johnstone, O'Shea, Hegazi, Ajayi, Townsend, Livermore, Harper, Pereira (Phillips 71), Krovinovic, Robinson (Grosicki 78), Robson-Kanu (Austin 81). Subs (not used): Furlong, Bartley, Barry, Bond.

PNE: Rudd, Fisher, Bauer, Davies, Hughes, Pearson, Browne, Barkhuizen (Stockley 84), Johnson, Maguire (Potts 84), Nugent (Sinclair 78). Subs (not used): Clarke, Rafferty, Gallagher, Ripley.

Referee: Kevin Friend (Leicestershire)

Attendance: 22,150 (925 PNE)