Preston North End 2-1 Blackburn Rovers: Match Report, Goals, Stats and Ratings
Championship Matchday 5 · Saturday 5 September 2026 · Deepdale, Preston · referee A. Backhouse · full time
Full time: Preston North End 2-1 Blackburn Rovers
Preston North End 2-1 Blackburn Rovers: Preston North End took the points in Championship Matchday 5 on Saturday 5 September 2026 at Deepdale. The goals: Callum Lang 9', Callum Lang 27'.
How Preston North End won it
The opening goal came in the 9th minute: Callum Lang for Preston North End, set up by Delano Burgzorg. Callum Lang made it 2-0 to Preston North End in the 27th minute, set up by Jordan Thompson. An own goal by Stanley Mills made it 2-1 to Blackburn Rovers in the 51st minute.
It was 2-0 at half-time.
Callum Lang scored twice.
The referee, A. Backhouse, showed 6 yellow cards: 4 to Preston North End and 2 to Blackburn Rovers.
Preston North End: P. Heckingbottom, 4-4-2 · Blackburn Rovers: T. Mowbray, 3-4-2-1.
Moneyball's prediction against the result
Moneyball did not publish a pre-match estimate for this match, so there is nothing to mark it against.
Why it went this way
On the day the expected goals were 0.86 for Preston North End and 1.65 for Blackburn Rovers.
Preston North End scored about 1.1 more than their chances were worth: clinical finishing, or a goalkeeper having a bad day.
Preston North End had 3 shots on target, Blackburn Rovers 5.
Preston North End's goalkeeper made 5 saves.
Blackburn Rovers had 67% of the ball, but Preston North End took the points.
Where the two sides stood before this match
Preston North End came into it with 12 Championship matches played, scoring 0.8 and conceding 2.1 a match, with 1.25 expected goals for and 1.63 against, and had won 8% of their matches.
Blackburn Rovers came into it with 12 Championship matches played, scoring 1.6 and conceding 1.3 a match, with 1.04 expected goals for and 1.79 against, and had won 42% of their matches.
Preston North End vs Blackburn Rovers: the match in numbers
| Preston North End | Match statistics | Blackburn Rovers |
|---|---|---|
| 33% | Ball possession | 67% |
| 0.86 | Expected goals (xG) | 1.65 |
| 8 | Total shots | 12 |
| 3 | Shots on target | 5 |
| 3 | Big chances | 2 |
| 243 | Total passes | 518 |
| 65% | Pass accuracy | 81% |
| 3 | Corners | 11 |
| 11 | Fouls | 9 |
| 1 | Offsides | 5 |
| 23 | Tackles | 11 |
| 5 | Saves | 1 |
| 4 | Yellow cards | 2 |
Team statistics from Sportmonks.
Player ratings and man of the match
Man of the match: Callum Lang (Preston North End), rated 8.1 by Sportmonks, with 2 goals.
Preston North End
- Callum Lang 8.1 2 goals
- Jordan Thompson 7.3 1 assist
- Daniel Iversen 7.3
- Léo Leroy 7.2
- Delano Burgzorg 7.0 1 assist
Blackburn Rovers
- Andri Gudjohnsen 7.1
- Jayden Fevrier 6.9
- Sean McLoughlin 6.9
- Ryan Alebiosu 6.8
- Hayden Carter 6.7
The lowest-rated starter was Ryoya Morishita at 6.3. Ratings run from 0 to 10; around 7.0 is a solid match.
What comes next
- Preston North End: Stoke City vs Preston North End Saturday 31 October 2026 · Championship
- Blackburn Rovers: Swansea City vs Blackburn Rovers Saturday 31 October 2026 · Championship
Each preview has Moneyball's estimate for the next match, published before kick-off and marked against the result afterwards, as this one is.
Questions about Preston North End vs Blackburn Rovers
What was the score in Preston North End vs Blackburn Rovers?
Preston North End 2-1 Blackburn Rovers (half-time 2-0), Championship, Saturday 5 September 2026.
Who scored in Preston North End vs Blackburn Rovers?
Callum Lang 9', Callum Lang 27'.
Did Moneyball predict Preston North End vs Blackburn Rovers correctly?
Moneyball did not publish a pre-match estimate for this match, so there is nothing to mark it against.
Who was man of the match in Preston North End vs Blackburn Rovers?
Callum Lang, rated 8.1 by Sportmonks.
Who refereed Preston North End vs Blackburn Rovers?
A. Backhouse.
Every match, before and after
Moneyball Odds writes a preview with its estimate before every match of Europe's top five leagues and the European cups, then marks it against the result, hits and misses alike.
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