Preston North End 2-0 Cardiff City - Cannon and Evans score as Alnwick sees red

Cardiff had kept three clean sheets in their last four league matches, having only kept two in their previous 12 games

Preston North End earned a sixth home league win of the season against 10-man Cardiff City at Deepdale.

Cardiff had a goalkeeper sent off for the second straight game as Jac Alnwick saw red for a late foul on Tom Cannon.

Cannon put the hosts ahead as he struck midway through the second half just as Cardiff had been impressing.

Alnwick was then sent off in the first minute of stoppage time and Preston took advantage with Ched Evans scoring via a rebound from the freekick.

The victory lifts Preston to 11th in the Championship, while Cardiff remain 21st, still six points above the relegation zone.

The omens were not good for a high scoring contest at Deepdale.

This was a meeting between the two lowest scoring sides in the Championship with the two clubs only managing 57 goals between them from a combined 70 league games so far this term, with the last two league meetings between the clubs ending goalless.

Cardiff were without first choice goalkeeper Ryan Allsop after his late red card in the Bluebirds' 2-0 win over Bristol City, but the hosts rarely threatened stand-in Alnwick in the first half despite the goalkeeper looking uncomfortable a few times as he tried to claim crosses.

Alnwick was forced to save on 27 minutes as Troy Parrott found the target, but largely Cardiff managed to frustrate the hosts as they looked to cause trouble on the counter-attack.

The Bluebirds came close to taking the lead on 39 minutes, but Kion Etete's effort whistled just past the upright, while Preston ended the half brightly, with Cedric Kipre blocking Alvaro Fernandez' fierce effort and Bambo Diaby firing just wide.

Both sides were close with respective efforts just after the interval, but Alnwick saved from Cannon and Jaden Philogene fired just over.

Preston goalkeeper Freddie Woodman suffered an early injury that required lengthy treatment, but was able to continue and he was finally tested on 57 minutes as he saved Perry Ng's well-struck freekick.

Woodman made a stunning save on 63 minutes as he somehow tipped Sory Kaba's powerful volley around the post, as Cardiff underlined why they have won three of their last four league matches, one more than in their previous 18 league games combined.

However, just when Cardiff looked on to be on top they conceded on 67 minutes as Cannon fired home from a tight angle.

The home side should have doubled their lead five minutes later, but Brad Potts somehow missed the target from Ben Whiteman's cross.

Philogene came close on 80 minutes with a fine run and shot, but Woodman again denied the Bluebirds before Philogene fired wide.

Cardiff's afternoon ended poorly when Alnwick was sent off for fouling Cannon outside his penalty area as he tried to amend his own miskick, making it back-to-back goalkeeper red cards for the Bluebirds.

Preston took full advantage, with Welshman Evans firing home after Rohan Luthra parried the resulting freekick on his senior debut.

Preston boss Ryan Lowe said:

"I just want to win as many games as we possibly can and see where it takes us. We've got a small target of points that we'd like to get to before the international break.

"If we feel there's a right challenge we can go and do, then we'll sit down and we'll all agree on something that we might be able to do. But I'm not getting carried away with it.

"What's most pleasing for me is to win two back-to-back home games at Deepdale, which we haven't done for a while.

"The attitude and the application in training the lads give us on a daily basis is fantastic."

Cardiff boss Sabri Lamouchi said:

"We are very disappointed because in the first half we were in the game, created a chance, it is not easy to play here, but we started well.

"Then in the second half after some good minutes and a couple of chances, we lost our mind, we made stupid mistakes.

"The goalkeeper being sent off two games in a row, it is unbelievable, but even that we can avoid, we should put the ball out of play, it was our mistake. We need to move on.

"Jac is very disappointed, but it wasn't his fault, we gave him a very bad pass."