Leicester missed the chance to go four points clear at the top of the Championship after a 1-0 loss at Millwall.

Ryan Longman’s brilliant top corner finish was the difference for the Lions, who climbed into 17th.

Leicester stayed one point clear at the summit after Leeds moved into second following a goalless draw against Sunderland.

Substitute Milutin Osmajic bagged a quickfire hat-trick as Preston completed an incredible second-half comeback to beat relegation-threatened Huddersfield 4-1.

Josh Koroma handed the Terriers the lead in the 42nd minute, but Preston equalised when Will Keane levelled from the penalty spot.

Osmajic starred from the bench in the final stages, striking twice in three minutes before completing his treble in the second minute of stoppage time to snatch three points and leave Town outside the bottom three on goal difference.

Sheffield Wednesday scored two late goals to salvage a crucial point in their relegation battle after a 2-2 draw against Norwich.

The visitors struck quickly in the opening stages with Josh Sargent putting the Canaries ahead in the 11th minute before Borja Sainz doubled the advantage five minutes later.

However, Wednesday turned the game around in the final 15 minutes with Michael Ihiekwe pulling one back before Michael Smith levelled in the 85th minute to leave them alongside Huddersfield.

Fourth-placed Southampton continued their play-off push with a 2-1 win against Coventry.

Haji Wright missed a penalty for the Sky Blues in the 10th minute and Southampton struck just eight minutes later through Kyle Walker-Peters.

Che Adams doubled the lead just before the break before Jake Bidwell pulled one back for Coventry, who remain just outside the play-off places.

Plymouth earned a valuable point after drawing 1-1 with QPR.

Sam Field put the visitors ahead from a corner, but Argyle are two points above the drop zone as Albert Adomah turned the ball into his own net.

Ryan Lowe said substitute Milutin Osmajic showed “pure class” as his eight-minute hat-trick completed Preston’s comeback in a 4-1 win over Huddersfield that keeps their Championship play-off hopes alive.

Relegation-battling Huddersfield were the better side in the first half and led through Josh Koroma’s strike four minutes before the break, but Will Keane levelled from the penalty spot early in the second half before Osmajic’s stunning cameo.

The Montenegrin put Preston in front in the 84th minute before scoring again in the 87th minute and the first minute of stoppage time.

“It’s just pure class and he’s got that in him,” Lowe said of the summer signing from Cadiz. “It’s been tough for him, he’s been in and out of the team at certain times…That’s his real hunger and desire to perform for the football club and for his team-mates and he takes all the credit for that.”

There had been a very different mood at half-time, with boos greeting the referee’s whistle as Preston were in danger of letting a top-six finish get out of reach.

“The first half wasn’t us, we weren’t at the races,” Lowe said. “We got them in at half-time and told them they need to be better. I had faith the lads could come out and perform. We changed one or two things, gave them a bit of information and told them they needed to raise it 20 per cent.

“The penalty gave us a bit of a life line to get back in and then there was only one team going to win it.”

The win leaves Preston five points off sixth-placed Norwich, who visit Deepdale on Saturday.

“It’s massively important,” Lowe said of the game. “I’m not going to play it down. Who knows? It might be the biggest one so far. It’s out of our hands what other teams do points-wise. I just want us to stay in the mix. If we can keep climbing up, with five games to go, who knows?”

Huddersfield boss Andre Breitenreiter was left to rue the chances that got away in a strong first half, and said the way his side defended after the break was “not acceptable”.

“When you defend like we did in the second half you cannot get some points,” the German said. “It was terrible, it was poor, too many ball losses.

“We played a really good first half but we missed the final pass to score more goals, we had really good opportunities to score two or three goals and we didn’t do that…

“I cannot tell you my opinion (on the penalty decision) because I didn’t see the clip. But the goal changed everything. Then we have to speak about our own performance and the performance was not good enough.

“After 1-1 there were too many ball losses, we didn’t play as a team, we had bad body language. It was a different game and it was not acceptable for me.”

Milutin Osmajic came off the bench to score a hat-trick in the space of eight minutes as play-off chasing Preston came from behind to beat Huddersfield 4-1 in the Championship.

Josh Koroma fired the relegation-battling Terriers in front late in the first half but the tide turned after the break after as Will Keane levelled from the penalty spot in the 53rd minute.

Osmajic then entered the fray with a stunning cameo, putting Preston in front in the 84th minute before scoring two more, the last of them in the first minute of time added on.

The Montenegrin had only scored once since November coming into the night but his match-winning contribution helped keep alive Preston’s hopes of making the play-offs, with victory leaving them five points off sixth place with five games to play.

But for Huddersfield, defeat leaves them outside the bottom three on goal difference alone.

The Terriers had been the better side for much of the first half as Sorba Thomas and Delano Burgzorg provided a constant threat, with Preston struggling to get out of their own half.

Huddersfield’s industry was rewarded just before the break. Burgzorg ran on to a through ball from Ben Wiles, outmuscling Ali McCann to win possession and then keeping the ball in on the byline to pull it back.

Wiles’ shot was blocked but the ball fell for Koroma who took a touch before lashing a shot across goal.

There were boos from the home fans at the half-time whistle but it took only six minutes of the second half for the mood to change. Alex Matos took a loose touch in the Huddersfield box and, in his bid to make amends, the Chelsea loanee bundled into Keane.

Matos saw yellow, and Keane stepped up to send Lee Nicholls the wrong way.

Huddersfield boss Andre Breitenreiter replaced Matos with Rhys Healey – who got the stoppage-time winner against Millwall at the weekend – but Preston still looked the more likely scorers, with Duane Holmes wriggling through the box before testing Nicholls with a powerful shot.

Osmajic’s first contribution after coming on was to appeal for a penalty. He was initially slow to react to a through ball but then barged Brodie Spencer off it before dropping to the deck, with referee Lewis Smith unimpressed.

But five minutes later he was celebrating his first goal, meeting Thomas’ cross from the right at the near post.

The Preston fans had not returned to their seats before he got another, racing on to Alan Browne’s pass to slot the ball into the bottom left-hand corner.

And, as the game moved into six minutes of time added on, he added a final flourish, beating Spencer to get a toe on to Mads Frokjaer-Jensen’s low ball from the right.

Ryan Lowe felt his Preston side were denied a clear penalty as they were held to a 0-0 draw at home by fellow play-off hopefuls Hull at Deepdale.

In a Sky Bet Championship game that did not help either side’s promotion ambitions, Lowe was adamant that his team should have been awarded a spot-kick early in the second half for a pull on Will Keane as he looked to pounce following Ryan Allsop’s save from Emil Riis.

It was not given, and while Preston had the better of the chances, they had to settle for just a point in their bid for a place in the top-six.

Lowe said: “I thought we deserved a penalty, a decision has gone against us that has probably not seen us take all three points. Unfortunately for us it hasn’t been given, but it’s a penalty.

“Will Keane has been pulled back and Keano’s been pulled right around, but maybe the referee is used to reffing in the Premier League…he’s used to someone speaking in his ear, stop and then decide what to do.

“I don’t know, but the fact of the matter is that 11 decisions have gone against us this season and three for us.

“It’s become a little bit of a concern, because if it goes into 14-15, then it’s costing us points.”

He added: “I thought we were excellent, with and without the ball. I think we kept their front three quiet, I thought our defenders were immense.

“There was only one team on the front foot trying to win the game of football and that was us.”

Ben Whiteman had a couple of early chances for Preston but did not overly trouble Allsop, while Freddie Woodman had to be alert in goal at the other end to deny Fabio Carvalho.

Preston threatened early in the second half, Andrew Hughes heading over and Whiteman seeing a shot deflected wide, before Riis’ attempt and the contentious follow-up.

At the other end, Jaden Philogene was somehow denied by Woodman while Allsop produced some late heroics to earn the visitors a point, to the delight of boss Liam Rosenior.

He said: “It was a hard-fought, physical, winter battle.

“I’m delighted with the players’ attitude, but I felt if we’d have had a little bit more calmness in our play, which is hard to do when you come away from home, then we would have come away with a win.

“I thought the players stood up really, really well to the challenge, but obviously I’m disappointed not to win the game.

“There’s a lot on the line, we have to remember Preston are in great form. You could sense in the stadium the energy of the team and what a big game it was for them to push up to us.

“I felt after the first 10 minutes we played our football and we controlled the game and looked like a real threat. But we just couldn’t get the goal and that’s a real shame.

“The game plan was to make it our game, we worked all week on trying to stop balls coming into our box, but then trying to control the game by making it our game.

“It’s a brave thing I’m asking the players to do. We made mistakes, but we just couldn’t get the goal our play deserved.”

Substitute striker Will Keane struck a sweet double as Preston claimed a 2-0 home win against Bristol City.

The former Manchester United forward made a fine impact from the bench with two goals in the space of 23 second-half minutes as the Lilywhites claimed their first league win since Boxing Day.

Victory also saw Ryan Lowe’s side end a worrying run of four defeats in their last five Championship matches having made a flying start to the season.

Defeat for the Robins means they have now not won in their last four matches and last won at Deepdale 13 years ago.

Defender Taylor Gardner-Hickman came close to giving the visitors an early lead but saw his goal-bound shot superbly saved by Preston goalkeeper Freddie Woodman.

Montenegro striker Milutin Osmajic tried his luck from the outside of the box with the hosts’ first chance after 19 minutes, but his right-foot strike flew wide of the left-hand upright.

Irish forward Jason Knight thought he had put Bristol City ahead with a thunderous strike, but Preston shot-stopper Woodman pulled off a fine save to tip his effort over the crossbar.

Defender Rob Dickie also saw a header saved by the home keeper, who found himself too busy for his own liking.

Zak Vyner rifled a fierce right-foot shot wide of the right-hand post as the visitors kept pressing for the opener, before Knight smashed over the bar with another excellent chance.

Albanian forward Anis Mehmeti saw his left-foot shot saved by Woodman, who was having a fine afternoon between the posts.

At the other end, Canadian midfielder Liam Millar was denied by a smart block from Robins keeper Max O’Leary, while midfielder Duane Holmes fired over with an angled drive.

Keane, fellow striker Emil Riis and attacking midfielder Mads Frokjaer-Jensen were introduced to spice things up for Preston.

And it worked as they found a spring in their step and were in front for the first time 20 minutes after the triple substitution.

Keane needed just two minutes for his first chance of the afternoon, O’Leary pulling off a fine block to stop his shot flying into the top corner.

The forward went close again five minutes later, firing wide from close range when he probably should have done better.

Mehmeti shot wide for the visitors and had an effort well-saved by Woodman, before Keane finally made the breakthrough.

His clinical strike from the centre of the goal was too good for O’Leary – and not long afterwards he doubled the home side’s advantage.

Frokjaer-Jensen had a shot saved as the pressure mounted, before Keane fired into the bottom-right corner with a superb left-foot strike for his eighth goal of the season.

Ryan Lowe bemoaned Preston’s “Jekyll and Hyde” performance as they shipped four second-half goals in a 5-1 Championship defeat at home to Watford.

Will Keane gave the Lilywhites an early lead but Vakoun Bayo levelled just before half-time, precipitating the hosts’ collapse.

Bayo, Matheus Martins, Edo Kayembe and Ismael Kone all struck after the break to earn Watford a second away league win on the bounce.

Lowe said: “In the first half we were fantastic. We looked like we’d carried on from where we left off against Huddersfield.

“I asked the lads at half-time to get on the front foot more, but then straight from the kick-off, one ball through the middle goes on to kill us.

“I think that knocked the stuffing out of us – you have to be solid and hard to break down, but we didn’t see that in the second half today.

“It’s Jekyll and Hyde stuff. The difference between the two halves was incredible really.

“You have to try and keep good teams like Watford at bay, but we gifted them opportunities.

“We have been solid this season, but definitely not today. We can’t let things like this happen. We’ve been punished big time for poor defending.

“I’ve stressed that to the players after the game and they need to take a bit more responsibility.

“Individually and collectively, we just can’t let that happen again.”

Preston continue to struggle at home and have now lost three in a row on their own patch.

They have now lost four of their last six in the Championship and were booed off at the end of the game.

Watford had only scored seven goals in nine away games before the second-half goal glut and have a poor recent record at Deepdale, having won just once on their last 16 visits.

Watford manager Valerien Ismael said: “I’m very pleased with the performance of all the players, of course.

“I’m pleased to see the understanding we’re now getting.

“The players have to learn that ruthless aspect and we saw that today.

“We created a good momentum from early in the game and we saw that focus that you need at a tough place like Preston.

“I can see the evolution after six months.

“This was a typically-tough Championship game, so we knew we’d have to be solid and be ready. It’s about being ruthless too.

“We got off to a great start in the second half and when you see shots go in like that, it gives everyone confidence and belief.

“The momentum definitely changed after half-time but credit goes to all the players because it’s given us and the fans a great feeling.

“At the moment we’ll just keep the focus on the games we have. We have a lot in the next couple of weeks running up to the new year and our job is to make sure we keep performing.

“After that, we will have a clearer picture of where we are.”

Ryan Lowe described his side’s performance as “different class from start to finish” as Preston returned to winning ways with a 3-1 Championship victory at Huddersfield.

Goals from captain Alan Browne, Will Keane and Ben Whiteman earned North End a first win in five games, leaving Town still one place above the relegation zone.

“Every single individual and collectively as a team, we were fantastic,” said Lowe. “And the goals were well worked.

“When you win away from home and score three goals you would be foolish not to be happy.

“The plan was to get after them early doors. We knew we would have large parts of possession and the game plan was a lot different (to Norwich last Saturday).

“The lads executed the game plan to a tee. So, credit to them. They went out and performed.

“I have always had faith in the lads, some people may not and have doubts. That is fine.

“But what we are and what we are trying to do is obviously pleasing. And when you get a win like that the relief is massive.

“We have to believe in ourselves and believe in the group.

“We said at half-time 2-0 is a tough scoreline and I am disappointed with the goal.

“We had to get a foothold in the game again with the third one – it took the stuffing out of them.”

Huddersfield’s defeat was their first in five games and manager Darren Moore admitted: “We were not good enough.

“The performance wasn’t what we wanted or expected.

“If the performance isn’t there, you can’t expect to win games.

“It serves as a reminder for us that we cannot perform like that and expect to get anything out of the game. That is me as a manager being honest.

“We know at Huddersfield Town we can’t approach any games and be off the pace or the tempo.

“We know in order to win games and get results then we have got to get everything right.”

Moore made three changes at half-time to try and bring Town back into the game and Danny Ward’s first of the season gave the Terriers hope.

But he admitted: “We felt to get some impetus I could have made some changes after 20 minutes but I waited until half-time.

“That’s probably the most animated you have seen me to keep the team in the game and on the front foot.

“But we will look back and see how we could have put the wrongs right because we are consistently learning together as a group.”

Preston returned to winning ways with a 3-1 victory at struggling Huddersfield.

Skipper Alan Browne and Will Keane gave Ryan Lowe’s side a 2-0 interval lead.

Danny Ward’s first goal of the season hinted at a second-half revival for opponents still hovering just above the drop zone.

But instead, Ben Whiteman’s 66th-minute goal wrapped up a first win in five for the Lancashire outfit and one-time leaders of the division.

It proved a good night too for ex-Terrier Duane Holmes, who claimed two assists on his return to the John Smith’s Stadium to help end Town’s draw-peppered, four-game unbeaten run.

Preston’s recent profligacy in front of goal had contributed to their drop from their lofty early-season position.

But within the opening three minutes Browne fired fractionally wide, had a strong appeal for a penalty rejected and then headed in North End’s first goal in four games – just their second in five.

Holmes crossed from the left and Browne glanced in his third goal of the campaign.

The stunned Terriers almost responded immediately. Delano Burgzorg powered forward but his angled drive could not beat Freddie Woodman at his near post.

A brace of Whiteman blocks protected Woodman from further action while Josh Koroma miscued a right-foot curled effort as the visitors briefly relinquished control.

But normal service was soon restored with North End  bossing possession and then six minutes from half-time deservedly doubling their advantage.

Lively Liam Millar collected the ball just inside the home half and raced towards the area before playing a delicious pass with the outside of his right foot into Keane’s path.

The striker took aim immediately and directed a shot beyond ex-Preston and Blackpool keeper Chris Maxwell for his fifth goal of the campaign and his first since September 2.

Huddersfield fans responded with boos and then again at the break. Boss Darren Moore had also lost patience, taking off Tom Lees, Josh Austerfield and Koroma at half-time and replacing them with Yuta Nakayama, Ben Wiles and Jaheim Headley.

The triple substitution did the trick and nine minutes later Town reduced their deficit. Matty Pearson supplied a cross from the Preston left and Ward, three days after his 33rd birthday, rose unchallenged to open his account for the campaign.

Ward, sidelined for a large part of this season with Achilles trouble, had not scored since a winner against Sheffield United last May to keep his club in the second tier.

It was almost the striker’s last contribution as Brahima Diarra replaced him for the final half hour.

But after looking vulnerable, the Lilywhites confirmed the three points. Millar and Holmes combined to tee-up Whiteman to guide a right-foot shot beyond Maxwell for his second goal of the term.

Mads Frokjaer-Jensen’s second-half strike secured Preston’s first league win of the season with a 2-1 victory over Sunderland.

Will Keane’s fortunate goal put Preston ahead midway through the first half, when Frokjaer-Jensen’s shot took a heavy deflection off the striker and diverted into the net.

Jack Clarke levelled from the penalty spot as Sunderland got back on equal terms before half-time.

However, Frokjaer-Jensen put the hosts ahead again by finishing off a counter-attack on his home debut for North End to emerge victorious.

After an even opening phase, Preston upped the tempo as Alan Browne put in a dangerous cross from the right aimed towards Keane which Luke O’Nien diverted to safety.

Up the other end, Clarke breezed past Brad Potts after the quarter-hour mark and crossed low into the box but the Preston defence cleared the dangerous delivery.

Patrick Roberts clipped in a cross aimed towards Dennis Cirkin but the defender’s header looped harmlessly over Freddie Woodman’s goal.

Woodman was called into action on 23 minutes to parry over Pierre Ekwah’s curling effort which looked to be goalbound.

But North End took the lead not long after that when Frokjaer-Jensen’s shot from outside the box struck Keane and it went past a helpless Anthony Patterson, who was totally wrongfooted.

Roberts’ free-kick from the right hand side was claimed by Woodman as Sunderland sought to level.

And the Black Cats did get back on level terms on the half-hour mark when Kian Best pulled Clarke’s shirt in the box and the winger coolly slotted home the resulting penalty to ensure the game was level at the break.

Following the interval, Best’s corner was nearly hooked in by Browne but the Black Cats cleared, while Ekwah took aim at the other end and saw a powerful effort bounce wide.

As the hour mark approached, Best worked some space on the edge of the box to dink an effort over the Sunderland goal.

And the hosts went back in front when Browne’s cross was knocked on by Keane for Frokjaer-Jensen to slot past Patterson and complete a fine counter-attacking goal.

Andrew Hughes took aim in the box but his effort landed off target for the home side, who had more energy and cutting edge to them in the second half.

Sunderland continued to threaten though and Clarke crossed from the left to Roberts, who Woodman was in the right place to deny 15 minutes before full-time.

O’Nien thumped a header wide not long after and Hughes later denied Sunderland substitute Abdoullah Ba with a great challenge to stop him going one-on-one as the hosts picked up the three points.

Ryan Lowe expects his Preston team to have more goal power this season following impressive starts by summer signings Will Keane and Mads Frokjaer in a 1-1 draw against Bristol City.

Keane marked the beginning of his second spell as a North End player with an opportunist late equaliser at Ashton Gate, while Frokjaer also played a key role in a determined fightback after
Sam Bell’s 47th-minute strike had threatened to give City a winning start.

Lowe was delighted with his team’s efforts and said: “Will is capable of adding 14 goals to our team this season. That’s how many he got last season and, while I don’t want to put pressure on him, I have faith in his ability to excite our fans.

“His goal was a fantastic finish, a great swivel and a shot into the bottom corner. It showed that if we give him opportunities, he will score for us.

“Mads has fantastic quality, which is why we have invested heavily in him. I see him also scoring goals, but he has to get up to speed with the Championship because it is a ruthless league.”

Lowe was also full of praise for 17-year-old defender Kian Best after a first senior appearance packed with promise.

“Kian is still only a baby and got cramp at the end,” said the manager. “But he worked his socks off and was intelligent in his passing range. His quality on the ball is different class and I have never been afraid to throw young players into my teams if they are good enough.

“I thought the whole team were fantastic. The players did all we asked of them off the ball in the first half and in the second we created enough chances to feel unlucky not to take all three points.

“Bristol’s goal worked against them in a way. We really got our backsides in gear after it and had them on the ropes, but I’ll take a point away at Bristol City, who have some very good players.”

City boss Nigel Pearson was asked about the absence from his team of £25million-rated midfielder Alex Scott, a transfer target for several Premier League clubs.

He said: “Alex developed a problem with a knee two or three days ago and he will be fine once we get the swelling down.

“When his name is not on the team sheet, people will make different assumptions, but that is the truth of the matter. Alex is injured and hopefully we will get him back for next weekend.

“Outside of that, I can’t really comment on how things will develop with Alex. We have put a valuation on him as a club and it’s important we protect our assets. I’m not saying a move won’t happen, but it has to be on our terms.”

Of the game, Pearson added: “It was a stop-start affair. We are disappointed not to win after taking the lead, but Preston created some chances and will feel they deserved something.

“It was a reminder of how tough the Championship is. They came with a plan to be difficult to break down and we didn’t use the ball well enough.

“It was largely about whether we could get our full-backs forward and on the ball. For whatever reason, they were not involved in our attacking play enough.”

Will Keane marked the start of his second spell as a Preston player with a late equaliser in a 1-1 Championship draw with Bristol City at Ashton Gate.

The hosts took a 47th-minute lead when a Harry Cornick long throw into the box caused havoc in the Preston defence and, after Nahki Wells fired against a post, Sam Bell was on hand to slot home the rebound.

But North End stormed back and it was no surprise when Keane, back at the club he served on loan from Manchester United in 2015, levelled after 86 minutes with a smart shot on the turn from the middle of a crowded penalty area.

It was no more than Preston deserved for an impressive second-half display that saw them create numerous chances. But City will see it as two points lost after leading for so long.

The home side made strong claims for a penalty after nine minutes when Wells went down under challenge from Liam Lindsay, but referee David Webb waved play on.

It proved the only moment of excitement for either set of fans in a turgid first half hour, full of passing errors, that saw the teams cancel each other out and defences dominate.

City suffered a blow after 22 minutes when skipper Andreas Weimann was forced off by injury, with Joe Williams sent on as his replacement.

The entire first half featured only one clear chance, created by City after 38 minutes, when Wells got in behind the Preston defence and picked out Bell at the far post.

The young striker could not have wished for a better opportunity, but fired his shot straight at goalkeeper Freddie Woodman, who advanced from his line to make a smothering save.

North End threatened from a couple of crosses, but were unable to force a save from Max O’Leary during an instantly forgettable 45 minutes.

Bell’s goal at the start of the second period finally set the game alight. But it was Preston, who responded best to it and last showed an attacking edge.

Mads Frokjaer had a 20-yard shot saved by the diving O’Leary and Alan Browne fired over from distance before connecting sweetly with a volley from a Kian Best cross and seeing his effort smack against a post.

City were all at sea. Zak Vyner had to bravely block a Keane drive and Brad Potts sent a low effort inches wide with Preston totally dominant.

Home boss Nigel Pearson responded by making two changes after 69 minutes, sending on striker Tommy Conway and winger Mark Sykes for Wells and Cornick, and his team seemed to have weathered the storm.

But still North End pressed and Keane’s leveller sparked joyous scenes among a large contingent of travelling fans.