Preston 3 Middlesbrough 0 - ‘You just can’t concede goals like we did’ reflects Neil Warnock

The hosts secured only their second home Championship win of the season, and their first at Deepdale against Boro since 1972, with Brad Potts, Scott Sinclair and Emil Riis all finding the net.

Boro struggled to get into a positive rhythm early on.

However, Marvin Johnson fizzed in a superb low cross that only just failed to reach Duncan Watmore.

North End replied with Potts firing into the side-netting from the corner of the six-yard box before the Lilywhites missed a golden opportunity in the 26th minute.

Jayden Stockley nodded the ball perfectly into the path of the on-rushing Tom Barkhuizen, but the big striker was thwarted by a smart, point-blank stop from Boro keeper Marcus Bettinelli.

With Neil Warnock’s men now in the ascendancy as the interval approached, Watmore glanced a header over the top as he met Djed Spence’s precise cross.

North End almost handed Boro the lead at the start of the second half. Johnson whipped in a teasing low cross from the left, and Preston centre-back Davies almost planted the ball into his own net before George Saville was unlucky as his hooked effort – following Britt Assombalonga’s deflected shot – was off target.

Just past the hour mark Preston finally broke the deadlock, after Barkuizen’s long throw-in was not cleared. Andrew Hughes fired in a shot from the edge of the Boro box, which was smartly diverted past Bettinelli by Potts.

The goal sparked a swift response from Boro, and after Johnson had forced a fine stop from Rudd, Saville also went close when his left-footed drive only just cleared the crossbar.

Sinclair headed against the crossbar before tucking home North End’s second from an angle.

Riis got himself on the scoresheet two minutes later when he drove a loose ball clinically home from 10 yards, before Boro substitute Marcus Tavernier struck the post.

“Obviously it’s a very disappointing result for us. You just can’t concede goals like we did towards the end,” Warnock said.

“We had the opportunities, I thought. Early in the second half we dominated, but they got the first goal from a deflection and then it went downhill from there really.

“They got two more scruffy goals and it was game over. We’ve got to sit up tomorrow now, take the positives as best we can, and re-group ahead of the Millwall game.

“It just goes to show how young our squad is, and we are a bit thin at the minute. We’ve got to get across the opposition more and create more opportunities, there’s nothing we can do about this result now, though.

“We’ve got to score more goals obviously, and that’s been the problem here for a while I think.”

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