West Bromwich Albion beat Preston North End at their own game according to Slaven Bilic

West Bromwich Albion used Preston North End's own style against them according to their manager Slaven Bilic.
Ben Pearson tackles Hal Robson-Kanu.Ben Pearson tackles Hal Robson-Kanu.
Ben Pearson tackles Hal Robson-Kanu.

The Baggies started fast against Preston, Hal Robson-Kanu scoring just six minutes in before Jake Livermore scored just before half time.

Bilic felt his side bossed the game and saw similarities in the way his side played tonight, and how PNE normally go about their games.

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He said: "It was a very mature performance. It was in control but in control on the front foot.

West Bromwich Albion boss Slaven Bilic looks on during his side's win.West Bromwich Albion boss Slaven Bilic looks on during his side's win.
West Bromwich Albion boss Slaven Bilic looks on during his side's win.

"People are talking about it, and maybe it looked like that to the people, they’re talking about routine but we made it a bit like that.

"Don’t forget we knew who we were playing against, we were playing against a team who is normally very intense, maybe the best in transitions.

"I’ve said that I admire Alex’s work and the way they play. I watch so many of their games, I was like ‘wow,’ they’re on the front foot and they’re a very, very good team and we still stopped them.

"We did to them was they were planning to do to us.

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"In terms of intensity, pressing, second balls and the balls that we won gave us the platform to get the balls in the dangerous areas to go at them, to catch them in transitions.

"That gave us a lot of situations in the first half to attack their back four or five with a few players, with a pack of players, and they couldn’t cope with it.

"When we had that, then our difference in class, our good performance on the ball, can be visible and then it’s making the difference.

"Throughout the whole game we were on them, which is the thing that pleases me the most."

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Darnell Fisher was shown a straight red card after 64 minutes for a tackle on Callum Robinson and for Albion's Croatian boss, Fisher can count himself a bit unlucky.

"It was a harsh card to be fair," he said.

"Unfortunately for him, today in football you can’t lunge yourself with that pace. Unfortunately for the guy it was a red card."