Liam Lindsay scored a crucial late goal for Preston North End against Lancashire rivals Blackburn Rovers, propelling them to fourth place in the Championship. The defender found the back of the net after connecting with Ben Whiteman’s cross, ending Preston’s streak of three consecutive away defeats.
Sammie Szmodics had previously become the first Championship player this season to reach double figures with his 10th goal, which canceled out an impressive strike from Alan Browne that had given Preston a first-half lead.
Despite Blackburn hitting the crossbar twice in the first half, Preston remained a constant threat on the counter-attack and even struck the post themselves before Lindsay’s late header secured the win for the Lilywhites.
Unfortunately for Blackburn, their tendency to concede late goals continued as the clock ran down, with Whiteman delivering the decisive cross for Lindsay’s header. This marked the 11th time this season that Rovers had conceded in the final quarter of an hour.
After the game, Blackburn Rovers boss Jon Dahl Tomasson reflected on his team’s performance on BBC Radio Lancashire:
“We’re extremely disappointed to lose the game. I don’t think we deserved to lose the game, if you look at our overall performance.
“We were the better team and created more chances than the opponent. We were probably lacking clear chances in the final third and runs in behind – when we did that, we created chances immediately.
“We should have done that better in the first half, but we still hit the bar twice in that first half.”
This result now leaves Blackburn Rovers four points adrift of West Bromwich Albion, who enter the weekend sitting in sixth place.
Preston North End boss Ryan Lowe reacted to his side’s last gasp victory in the Lancashire derby:
“Credit goes to the players, the staff and the fans. We are trying to bring the good times back. We are not one of the big hitters. We have to do it wisely. When you have got that fanbase, it is really pleasing to see. My celebration at the end, that is relief from me,” he said live on Sky Sports.