Preston were hammered 4-1 away at Newcastle United on Monday evening.
Newcastle United’s Christian Atsu in action with Preston North End’s Tyias Browning
Preston North End suffered a fourth straight league defeat as they lost 4-1 away at Newcastle United on Monday evening, in a game which sealed the Magpies’ promotion to the Premier League.
Simon Grayson’s Lilywhites have enjoyed a promising season which saw them challenge for the play-offs at one point, but successive defeats to Leeds United, Huddersfield Town and Norwich City threatened to end the season on a low note.
A trip to Newcastle was the last thing Preston needed then, especially as a win would send the Magpies back to the Premier League – and the hosts took an early lead through Ayoze Perez.
Jordan Hugill hit back for Preston with a smart finish from Tom Barkhuizen’s cross, only for a mix-up between Aiden McGeady and Daniel Johnson to set up a Newcastle counter-attack before half tie, with Christian Atsu scoring.
Newcastle’s Ayoze Perez scores their first goal
Matt Ritchie made it three from the penalty spot after Paul Gallagher had handled on the line, and Perez grabbed his second to make it 4-1, booking Newcastle’s place in the Premier League next season.
Preston suffered a miserable evening on Tyneside, and defender Tyias Browning suffered a particularly tough night, having been caught napping for the opening goal of the game, whilst he also struggled with Christian Atsu’s pace early on.
Newcastle United’s Christian Atsu in action with Preston North End’s Tyias Browning and Aiden McGeady
Browning gradually got settled into the game, and it’s no surprise he was a little rusty to begin with, having made his first appearance for North End in over two months having been sidelined through injury.
North End fans took to Twitter during the game to claim Browning – currently on loan from Everton – was a liability against Newcastle and didn’t look anywhere near match fit, though other fans felt that Browning was put in a tough position given his lack of first-team football of late.
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