Blackburn Rovers 1-4 Preston: Ched Evans scores twice as North End secure crushing Lancashire derby win

Preston served Lancashire rivals Blackburn a harsh wake-up call and illustrated their own automatic promotion credentials with a 4-1 win at Ewood Park.

Ben Woodburn got North End up and running in snowy conditions when he scored after 17 minutes and in-form Ched Evans swept in a second after Rovers were caught playing out from the back (47).

A neat finish from Bradley Dack reduced the deficit (55), but a superb header from Evans and a 20-yard drive from Ben Whiteman (65) made sure of a thumping derby triumph for the visitors.

Victory for Ryan Lowe’s men – on his 50th match in charge – sees them climb to fourth, two points behind third-placed Rovers and four behind Sheffield United in second.

How Preston inflicted a chastening derby defeat

In bitter conditions, it took a while for the derby to start flowing, with the early rhythm disrupted by a premature exit for Blackburn’s Callum Brittain, who came off worse after a heavy 50/50 with Ryan Ledson.

Rovers began to concede cheap fouls and though they were not punished by the set-pieces that followed, they found themselves behind after a slick move that saw Woodburn stroke the ball home after being located by Evans.

Defensive pair Scott Wharton and Dominic Hyam then stood in the way of shots from Daniel Johnson and Brad Potts to keep the hosts in the game, while at the other end, Ben Brereton Diaz had a penalty appeal turned down after he went down under the challenge of Greg Cunningham.

Blackburn fans made their frustration clear with boos when the half-time whistle was blown – and within two minutes of the restart, they returned when Evans swept home Johnson’s square ball after Rovers were caught playing out from the back.

On his first league start since September 3, Dack hooked one in to offer hope for Jon Dahl Tomasson’s side – who already had lost every one of the nine games they had fallen behind in – but that hope was extinguished when Evans connected with Cunningham’s peach of a cross to re-establish the two-goal cushion.

And two minutes later, a deft touch from Johnson on Alvaro Fernandez’s cross set up Whiteman to add a fourth with a drive from the edge of the penalty area that added the deserved gloss.

Player of the match – Ched Evans

Andy Hinchcliffe on Sky Sports Football:

“One of the best all-round attacking displays I’ve seen this season. He brought everything today.”

What’s next?

Both teams are back in action on Saturday December 17. Preston host QPR at Deepdale at 3pm, while Blackburn travel to Carrow Road to take on Norwich at 5.30pm, live on Sky Sports Football.