Preston North End 1-1 Coventry City: Daniel Jebbison frustrates leaders with late equaliser

Daniel Jebbison’s late goal reduced Coventry City’s Sky Bet Championship lead to five points after Preston North End secured a 1-1 draw.

Jebbison seriously dashed Coventry’s advantage with his prodded finish 14 minutes from time.

Until the Canadian’s equaliser, Coventry were in complete control, with the help of Liam Lindsay’s red card for dragging back Haji Wright, and took the lead after Andrew Hughes’ deflected a shot into his own net.

Sky Blues manager Lampard said, “I said to the players it shouldn’t feel like a loss but it does because of the standards and the way that we play.”

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Daniel Jebbison (second left) celebrates after scoring for Preston
(Martin Rickett/PA)

Match action

For large parts of the first half, Wright was the only threat for either side, and almost everything he attempted was managed well by Preston.

The American was found hurrying behind Preston’s defence and, after his touch shifted him wide, it allowed Daniel Iversen to deny him.

The Lancashire club were forced to defend for the majority of the half, but did look threatening in the rare flurry forward. Lewis Dobbin turned into space but floated his shot just over the bar.

Only seven minutes after Wright’s first effort, he found himself in a similar position.

This time, he wrestled past his opponent before unleashing a shot that Preston’s goalkeeper flicked round a post magnificently.

As half-time approached, he headed over from close range, and six minutes before the break he burst in behind Preston’s defence before Lindsay dragged him down – earning a red card for the challenge.

Second half

With the man advantage, Coventry’s pressure intensified, with Wright prodding a shot that Iversen thwarted again three minutes into the second half.

And when the Championship leaders did break through Preston’s defence in the second half, poor finishing let them down with Victor Torp scuffing his shot from just inside the box.

Preston suffered for almost all the game but, 15 minutes after the break, Harrison Armstrong hit a looping volley over his head that forced Carl Rushworth into tapping it over the bar.

But Coventry’s defence faced few real tests, and Iversen once again rose to the occasion, diving across his goal to parry away Torp’s close-range effort.

After 70 minutes, Coventry finally found their breakthrough via a huge stroke of luck. Rudoni collected the ball and hit a shot that heavily deflected off Hughes to wrongfoot Iversen and rolled in.

Instead of kicking on from the goal, they were pegged back six minutes later when Jebbison poked Pol Valentin’s cross past Rushworth to dent their lead at the top of the Championship and keep Preston two points into the play-off positions.

Tuesday’s Championship results

Blackburn Rovers 1-1 Oxford United

Charlton Athletic 1-2 Middlesbrough

Preston North End 1-1 Coventry City

Sheffield United 1-1 Norwich City

Southampton 3-2 West Bromwich Albion

Swansea City 1-0 Portsmouth

Watford 1-1 Sheffield Wednesday

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