Preston 1-1 West Brom: Emil Riis earns point for North End

Report and free match highlights from the Sky Bet Championship match between Preston North End and West Bromwich Albion at Deepdale on Saturday; Emil Riis cancels out Karlan Grant's West Brom opener as spoils as shared at Deepdale.

Saturday 30 November 2024 18:29, UK

Emil Riis scored his fifth goal of the season to earn Preston a 1-1 draw with West Brom in the Sky Bet Championship.

The Dane equalised early in the second half after Karlan Grant had put the Baggies in front with a 13th-minute opener.

Carlos Corberan's visitors came into the match with the joint most draws in the division with nine, while Preston had shared the spoils on eight occasions, so the result was hardly a surprising one.

Goalkeeper Dai Cornell came into Paul Heckingbottom's team for his first start of the season after Freddie Woodman's late red card against Stoke and the 33-year-old did well to turn Grant's thumping 25-yard effort round a post in the 10th minute.

But the Albion forward made no mistake when his next opportunity arose, latching on to an incisive through-ball from Tom Fellows before delicately chipping the onrushing keeper for his third goal of the campaign.

It took Preston until the 26th minute to fashion an opening, but Josh Bowler's low shot from just outside the box was easily gathered by Alex Palmer.

Bowler went much closer eight minutes later, steering Sam Greenwood's excellent cross past the keeper, but Mason Holgate was on hand to make a goal-line clearance.

North End came out with a bang in the second half and Ali McCann nearly equalised within minutes of the restart, but his header from Greenwood's corner was inadvertently blocked on its way to goal by team-mate Riis.

Greenwood's corners were causing all sorts of problems at the start of the second period and Torbjorn Heggem was brave, throwing his body in the way of Andrew Hughes' fierce strike at the far post.

The pressure eventually told in the 55th minute as Riis shifted inside Holgate before directing a shot into the far corner from just outside the box after being found by Greenwood.

Leeds loanee Greenwood was at the heart of all things inventive for the home side and he found Jordan Storey with another inviting corner just after the hour mark, but Palmer was alert to make the save.

However, in the 69th minute substitute Jayson Molumby was found unmarked in the centre of the box from a quickly-taken Josh Maja free-kick and McCann did brilliantly to block the Irishman's finish.

Greenwood's display warranted a goal and he stung the palms of Palmer 10 minutes later with a 25-yard free-kick, but neither side were able to land a decisive blow in a closely-contested clash.

The managers

Preston's Paul Heckingbottom:

"I think back to when he started at Burnley, scored a goal that was a goal, it was ruled out, and that makes it 1-0 and then we beat Coventry after that and he scored the goal and we won that one.

"People would have been saying totally different things about him (at the time, if the Burnley goal was allowed). He's been strong for us, particularly as we've only had him as the recognised striker (for large periods of the season).

"I want to make sure that we win games like (today) when we're the best team and I also want to get to the point where we win when we're not the best team in terms of how the flow of the game has gone.

"But we've had moments and we've got players (to win matches). This game's a perfect example. The block in the first half and then (Ali McCann's) header hit (Riis) on the line in the second half. Those little things at the minute aren't going our way.

"This last block of games we've had so many performances like (this one) and not come away with the three points."

West Brom's Carlos Corberan:

"I think they are the right decisions. I can understand the frustrations of the people, but when you see that you have good possibilities on the bench and the energy that you need to compete again (you have to make these calls).

"I understand with these calls that not everyone will be happy. I respect what the fans are saying, but I make the decisions that I consider to be right.

"(Preston) were less aggressive than we expected. We were managing the game well. We used the advantages that they were giving to us because they were less aggressive.

"The second half was a totally different game where they were much better than us in the first 10-15 minutes.

"In the last 20 minutes of the second half, with everything that happened, I think we found the right competitiveness and right level to perform, but it was not enough to win the game."