Preston 0 Sunderland 3: Highlights as Cats reach Championship play-offs after Millwall lose on dramatic day

Sunderland beat Preston 3-0 at Deepdale to secure their place in the Championship play-offs.
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After a goalless first half, Amad put the visitors ahead with an excellent strike into the top corner.

Substitute Alex Pritchard then added a second before Jack Clarke completed the scoring with a low effort.

After Millwall failed to beat Blackburn, Sunderland moved into the top six and will now face Luton in the play-offs.

Here’s how the game played out:

RECAP: Preston 0 Sunderland 3 (Amad, 54) (Pritchard, 61) (Clarke, 65)

Key Events

  • Sunderland XI: Patterson, Gooch (Anderson, 66), Hume, O’Nien, Cirkin (Pritchard, 45), Neil, Ekwah, Roberts, Amad (Ba, 87), Clarke, Gelhardt (Michut, 72)
  • Subs: Bass, Anderson, Michut, Ba, Pritchard, Lihadji, Taylor
  • Preston XI: Woodman, Storey, Lindsay, Kamara, Potts, McCann, Ledson, Fernandez, Parrott (Onomah, 56), Delap (Woodburn, 70), Cannon
  • Subs: Cornell, Bauer, Slater, Leigh, Woodburn, Onomah, Mawene

What to make of those sides

So Mowbray has named an unchanged side from the one which started against Watford last weekend.

It means Trai Hume will once again start as a centre-back in a system which can switch between a back three and back four.

Preston have made three changes following their 4-1 defeat at Sheffield United last time out, with Liam Lindsay, Liam Delap and Ali McCann coming into the side.

Midfielder Daniel Johnson misses out through injury.

A late change to Preston’s starting XI

Andrew Hughes has picked up an injury in the warm-up for Preston and has been replaced by Patrick Bauer in the starting XI.

Preston have had the first attack of the match after Cannon skipped past Hume on the left and sent a cross into the box.

Patterson held it comfortably.

4’ Preston threatening

Preston have started the better of the two sides.

Cannon got in behind Hume again there before Patterson came off his line to clear.

Moments later Fernandez found space on the hosts’ left and sent a low cross into the box which wasn’t converted.

6’ Sunderland under pressue

Sunderland haven’t got going yet.

McCann’s shot deflected wide and went behind for a corner.

Bauer made first contact from the set-piece but his header was off target.

8’ Millwall one up against Blackburn

10’ Wide from Clarke

That was better from Sunderland after some good play from Amad on the right.

The ball was then played out to Clarke on the opposite flank, before the winger cut inside and sent an effort wide of the far post.