Preston North End 3-1 Swansea City: Lilywhites ease to comeback win over ragged Swans

Emil Riis Jakobsen drills home Preston's second goal, his fifth of the season

Preston North End claimed a second successive Championship win as they eased past a ragged Swansea City.

Swansea went ahead through Joel Piroe's cool finish but Preston seized control after Sepp van den Berg steered in a quickfire equaliser.

Emil Riis Jakobsen's drive put the hosts in front before Ben Whiteman's free-kick beat Steven Benda to seal a comfortable victory.

Preston climb to 16th in the early-season table, while Swansea are 19th.

Losing play-off finalists last season, the Swans have won only one of their opening five league games of this campaign and look to have significant work to do as they attempt to rebuild under new boss Russell Martin.

Both these sides had come into the game with momentum having followed up first victories of the Championship season last weekend - Preston at home to Peterborough and Swansea at Bristol City - with midweek EFL Cup triumphs.

Yet it was Preston who continued their progress as they exposed a naïve, disjointed Swansea team despite falling behind.

Swansea survived a strong penalty appeal in the opening stages after Riis Jakobsen tangled with centre-back Joel Latibeaudiere, who injured himself in the process of making the challenge.

They then created half-chances for Liam Cullen and Piroe before the duo combined for the opening goal.

Cullen's clever flick put Piroe into space and the £1m summer signing from PSV Eindhoven stroked in his fourth goal in only five Swansea appearances.

The visitors' lead lasted for only a matter of seconds, however, as Josh Earl's cross reached van den Berg and the on-loan Liverpool teenager beat Jake Bidwell before shooting low into the bottom corner to claim his second goal in as many games.

Preston took charge from that moment on, with Benda twice denying Riis Jakobsen before Frankie McAvoy's men deservedly went in front on the stroke of half-time.

Russell Martin left MK Dons to take over at Swansea just ix days before the EFL season started

Swansea had looked vulnerable defensively and were punished when another left-wing cross, this one supplied by Daniel Johnson, was helped on by Sean Maguire.

This time Riis Jakobsen seized his chance, flashing a shot beyond the helpless Benda from point-blank range.

Riis Jakobsen might have added to his tally early in the second half only for Benda to race out of his area and bring the Dane down, a challenge which earned Swansea's young goalkeeper a caution amid home appeals for a red card.

The Whiteman free-kick which followed was not in the corner of the net, but Benda stepped right initially and then could not back across to his left to make what should have been a relatively comfortable save.

Swansea battled on without ever threatening to get back into the contest, with Riis Jakobsen going closest to adding to the scoring when he sliced wide.

Preston head coach Frankie McAvoy:

"I have said to the group, let's not get too low when we lose and not get too high when we win. I knew it would just be a matter of time before we started to pick up. I had every faith in the group.

"I am delighted today, I thought particularly our second-half performance was excellent. Our response from going a goal down was the type of response I know these boys are capable of.

"We tried to make sure we could get our press right. We know they will take chances, they will try to play from them back, they use the goalkeeper as well.

"You need to get it right because if you don't they can play through you, which they did a few times. I think it took about 20 minutes until we really got it going."

Swansea head coach Russell Martin:

"I am really disappointed. I didn't see it coming. It's a game too many for a lot of the guys I think - physically, mentally, a lot of tired bodies.

"Making a change so early in the game with Joel [Latibeaudiere] getting injured, Brandon [Cooper] was taken out because he needed a rest and then gets thrown back in bless him. Ryan Bennett has just come back off the back of Covid so we knew he couldn't complete 90 minutes. Kyle Naughton is on the bench for that reason - he's still not feeling 100%.

"I feel like we will never be weaker than that in terms of squad selection, the amount we have had to juggle.

"It's been a hectic four weeks with no time to work really on the training pitch. The only positive for me is that I don't think we will ever go into a game as weak as we did today, not just in terms of personnel but for all those reasons."