A Will Keane double secured Preston their fourth successive league win as they rose to the Sky Bet Championship summit with a 2-0 victory at Stoke.
The summer recruit from Wigan netted a quickfire brace early in the second half as the Lilywhites’ unbeaten start continued.
Half-time substitute Duane Holmes orchestrated the Preston knockout blow, firstly winning a penalty which Keane converted.
And the United States international was provider again for Keane’s second as he teeed up his strike partner for an easy tap-in.
A new-look Potters side, whose busy deadline day took their summer additions to 18, offered little in resistance as their four-match winning run at home was ended.
After a fierce start in which former Preston midfielder Ben Pearson was booked within 46 seconds, the visitors nearly opened the scoring with the game’s first effort on goal.
An Alan Browne effort from range deflected off Ben Wilmot and nearly wrongfooted Mark Travers, but the Potters’ goalkeeper did well to adjust and save.
Stoke gradually grew into the fixture and roles were reversed at the opposite end when Wilmot was then thwarted by Browne. A scramble in the box ended with the ball popping up invitingly for the defender, but his goalbound strike was headed clear by Preston’s captain.
The reliable Travers was called into action again shortly after the half-hour mark when a miraculous reflex stop kept the scores level.
Andrew Hughes advanced dangerously into the area and his cross was nearly inadvertently converted by Stoke defender Enda Stevens, if not for Travers’ instinct save.
The hosts’ best chance of the first half fell to Tyrese Campbell when he was found in the box by a pinpoint Wesley delivery, but the forward miscued his volleyed attempt.
A first half low on creativity drew to an uneventful close and Preston boss Ryan Lowe delivered a masterstroke to swing the tie in his side’s favour.
The introduction of Holmes at the interval proved the difference as the new addition from Huddersfield continued his bright start to life with the Lancashire outfit.
A jinking and weaving run from Holmes was abruptly stopped by Wouter Burger in the box, with the Stoke midfielder penalised by referee Matthew Donohue.
Keane stepped up for the ensuing spot-kick and happily obliged from 12 yards, drilling an effort down the middle of the goal.
Preston’s two new stars combined again in the 57th minute when Holmes set up Keane to send the travelling 2,586 fans into delirium.
Stoke boss Alex Neil – who spent just shy of four years in the Preston hotseat – tried to rouse a fightback from his shell-shocked side.
But the home side had to wait until the 77th minute to register their first shot on target as Campbell came closest to providing a consolation.
Juve must grow as a team to overcome slump, says Allegri
Juventus will need to grow as a team if they are to get out of their current slump, Bianconeri head coach Massimiliano Allegri said after their draw against relegated Salernitana on Sunday.
Juve were on their way to a humiliating Serie A loss at home until Adrien Rabiot equalised in stoppage time for a 1-1 draw.
It was a fifth straight league draw for Allegri's side, which has seen them slip to fourth, seven points behind second-placed Milan and level on 67 points with Bologna in third.
"Anyone who has played football knows that even the great teams can experience a moment of difficulty when the games become tough. We will certainly have to grow," Allegri said.
Their Coppa Italia final against Atalanta on Wednesday presents an opportunity for redemption.
"The final against a team like Atalanta that has grown a lot will certainly be balanced," Allegri said. "It's a one-off game and we will have to try to make as few mistakes as possible."
When asked about his future at the Turin club, Allegri stressed that he was focused on finishing the season.
"Regarding my future, just be patient a little bit longer, in 10-15 days you'll know what will happen next year," he said.
Regarding the match, the 56-year-old said the performance was not satisfactory but at least they did not lose.
"We started reasonably well, then made a mistake in our decision-making. We became disjointed and we didn't hold our positions," he said.
"You can't lose a match like that, otherwise you risk never picking yourselves back up again."
Rooney slams Man Utd players' attitude after Arsenal defeat
Wayne Rooney slammed Manchester United's players after Erik ten Hag made reference to the Red Devils' questionable attitudes following Sunday's defeat to Arsenal.
Ten Hag's side were hammered 4-0 on Monday away to Crystal Palace and followed that up with a 1-0 defeat to Arsenal, leaving them eighth in the league table and three points adrift of the top six.
The United manager was quizzed on the difference between the two performances, suggesting the differing showings had been down to players' "attitude".
Rooney, speaking on Sky Sports, echoed Ten Hag's sentiments as he questioned the application of United's underwhelming performers.
"I've said this a few weeks ago, the players need to look at themselves," the United and England great said.
"When you've got your manager during an interview and he's talking about attitude and attitudes not being right, that is a massive insult.
"If I saw my manager saying that, there is no way I'd let that ride until the end of the season. I feel some players are just trying to get to the end of the season so I feel for him in that way.
"Ultimately, it's his job to make sure the players are right."
Ten Hag has failed to get a tune out of United, dropping out of the Champions League in the group stage and suffering in the Premier League, with their only hope the upcoming FA Cup final with Manchester City.
The Red Devils have lost 19 games in all competitions this season, their most since 1977-78 (also 19), while their nine defeats at Old Trafford this term is their joint-most at home in a single campaign.
United have also conceded in 10 successive games in all competitions for the first time since October 2021, while the 82 goals they have conceded this season is their most since 1970-71 (also 82).
Ten Hag has had to deal with injuries to the likes of Lisandro Martinez, Harry Maguire and Marcus Rashford among others, with Rooney doubling down on his criticism of United's players.
"As we look at the injuries, some of them players can play," the former Everton and Derby County boss continued, with Bruno Fernandes also absent for the Arsenal clash.
"It's easy, you've got a European Championship coming up, an FA Cup final coming up. It's easy for the players, because they're getting a bit of stick now, to stay out for a little bit and come back for the FA Cup final and get ready for the European Championships.
"I've seen it myself over the years, I just think the players who are injured are not filling themselves with any credit at the minute and the manager is going to take all the stick for that."
Bochum 0-5 Bayer Leverkusen: Champions crush 10-man hosts to hit 50 games unbeaten
Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen crushed hosts Bochum 5-0 on Sunday to stretch their remarkable unbeaten run across all competitions this season to 50 consecutive matches.
Xabi Alonso's team, aiming for a treble of titles, surpassed Benfica's long-standing European unbeaten record with a 2-2 draw against Roma on Thursday that sent them through to the Europa League final.
On Saturday, they did not ease off against lowly Bochum, scoring twice late in the first half versus the last Bundesliga team to beat them in the previous season.
Patrik Schick put Leverkusen in the driving seat in the 41st minute and Victor Boniface doubled their lead with a penalty in first-half added time, with Bochum down to 10 men following a straight red card early on for Felix Passlack.
Amine Adli made it 3-0 in the 76th minute and Josip Stanisic added another 10 minutes later with a low drive before delivering an assist for Alejandro Grimaldo to score in stoppage time with a tap-in.
Leverkusen, who face Atalanta in the Europa League showpiece match and Kaiserslautern in the DFB-Pokal final, have 87 points with one Bundesliga game left this season.
Bayern Munich, 2-0 winners against Wolfsburg earlier on Sunday, are 15 points behind in second place.
Data Debrief: Leverkusen match Bayern's record
Leverkusen became the third team in Bundesliga history to remain undefeated in all of their away games in a season, joining Bayern as the only side to achieve the feat (in the 1986-87 and 2012-13 seasons).
Alonso's side have also scored 87 goals in the Bundesliga this season, extending on their already broken club record this term.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
