Skip to content
Full Time After Extra Time This is a live match. Extra Time Half Time

Norwich City vs Preston North End. Sky Bet Championship.

Carrow RoadAttendance25,910.

Norwich City 0

    Preston North End 1

    • M Osmajic (5th minute)

    Norwich City 0-1 Preston North End: Milutin Osmajic nets winner for Lilywhites

    Report and free match highlights from the Sky Bet Championship match between Norwich City and Preston North End at Carrow Road on Tuesday night; Milutin Osmajic nets winner for Paul Heckingbottom's Lilywhites

    Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

    Highlights of the Sky Bet Championship match between Norwich City and Preston North End.

    Preston moved to within five points of the Championship play-off zone as they recorded a hard-fought 1-0 win over Norwich at Carrow Road.

    A early effort from striker Milutin Osmajic proved enough to see off a below-par home side and the well-drilled visitors could easily have won by a bigger margin, with a number of chances going begging.

    Norwich, who would have moved into the top six had they won, barely created a decent opportunity all night and could have few complaints about the result.

    Preston took just five minutes to move ahead as Norwich's attempts to build from the back were thwarted by an enthusiastic press.

    Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

    Milutin Osmajic gives Preston the lead after six minutes against Norwich at Carrow Road.

    The ball fell to Mads Frokjaer who slipped skilfully between two Norwich defenders before squaring for Osmajic to comfortably guide the ball past an exposed Angus Gunn.

    Norwich, who had lost skipper Kenny McLean to illness in the build-up, threatened within a minute as in-form Josh Sargent bore down on goal but a well-timed block from Ryan Porteous kept his shot out.

    After seeing Duane Holmes carried off on a stretcher with an injury to his left leg, the visitors went on to create a couple more good chances in the first half, with Ryan Ledson firing wide when well-placed and Osmajic fluffing his lines after being set up by a Kaine Kesler-Hayden cutback.

    Also See:

    Norwich had most of the ball but Anis Ben Slimane's shot, which was straight at keeper Freddie Woodman, was their only effort on target before the break.

    The Canaries made a triple substitution on the hour mark, with Sargent among those going off, as they sought to find a way back into the match.

    But it was Preston who almost stretched their lead midway through the half when Kesler-Hayden fired agonisingly wide of the far past after finding some space in a crowded box.

    Shane Duffy headed just wide from a corner and a Borja Sainz strike was blocked as Norwich finally upped the tempo, although Preston substitute Liam Lindsay almost wrapped it up 10 minutes from time with a close-range header from a corner which fizzed inches wide.

    Sainz saw another decent effort deflected just wide in the closing stages but there was to be no dramatic finish at Carrow Road.

    The managers

    Norwich's Johannes Hoff Thorup:

    "The fans were not satisfied and the players were not satisfied either. They tried their best but were not good enough tonight," he said.

    "I thought it was an even game, although they had the better chances. We were expecting a tough game and that is exactly what we got. Preston were physical and tough in all the duels and I got the feeling it was not even with the decisions taken.

    "I think when we play well we look like a team who can push for the play-offs, and I still think we can do that. But when our level drops it can be like it was tonight."

    Preston's Paul Heckingbottom:

    "I thought it was a top-drawer performance from the whole group.

    "This is a tough place to come to and to get anything from a game here you have to get a lot of things right and we certainly did that.

    "We were good with the ball and really good without it too, with everyone contributing.

    "Probably the only negative of the performance was that we missed a number of good chances and could have won more comfortably, but when you're saying that as a visiting manager here you know you have played well."

    Win £250,000 with Super 6!
    Win £250,000 with Super 6!

    The £250,000 is up for grabs with Super 6, and as always it is completely free to play. Entries by 3pm Saturday.