Josh Maja's two goals at The Hawthorns doubled his home tally for the season
Managerless West Bromwich Albion climbed back into the Championship's top six as two-goal Josh Maja helped his side beat Preston North End.
The Baggies, playing their third game since the Christmas Eve departure of Carlos Corberan, did all the damage in the first half.
Maja, who had only netted two of his previous 10 Albion goals this season at home, scored twice, either side of a first for summer signing Callum Styles.
Ryan Ledson pulled one back on 70 minutes for North End, but it was not enough to prevent a first win for Chris Brunt and his three-man Baggies caretaker management team after picking up just one point from their first two games.
Paul Heckingbottom's Preston, who had won their two home games over Christmas, now lie 16th after their sixth away defeat of the season.
After scoring just two goals in their first seven home games this season, Albion have now hit 11 in their last five.
The opener came on 18 minutes when Mikey Johnston, fresh from his first two goals of the season in Albion's last home game, cut in from the left and looked set to unleash one of his trademark right-foot curlers, but he totally foxed the North End defence.
He went left instead to gain some more yards before crossing and the ball cannoned back to Maja, who lashed home left-footed.
Albion then went 2-0 up on 35 minutes when Johnston looked to have over-bent a low inswinging left-wing corner, which Callum Styles initially left.
But the full-back improvised, letting the ball run across the edge of the box before connecting with a low right-foot delivery which found its way through a crowded area and into the bottom left corner.
Just five minutes later it was 3-0 when Darnell Furlong went down the right and crossed for Maja to score his second from close range.
It was the Championship second top scorer's 12th goal of the season, putting him just three behind Norwich's Borja Sainz.
That looked like 'game over' and effectively it was.
Preston prevented a clean sheet when Ledson scored from close range, but they had nothing else to deny Albion victory – only their fourth in 19 games, but their third in a row at home.
Who's next?
Albion now face two road trips over the next two Saturdays.
They head to Swansea for a lunchtime kick-off this weekend before their FA Cup third-round tie at Bournemouth on 11 January.
Preston have back-to-back home games, both regulation afternoon kick-offs, first against Oxford United, then League One side Charlton Athletic.
'There were a lot of tired old legs out there' - reaction
West Bromwich Albon joint caretaker-boss Chris Brunt told BBC Radio WM:
"We got the goals in the first half, then defended it well in the second half, when Preston came at us. There were a lot of tired old legs out there.
"It was good to back up the second-half performance against Sheffied United. But the intensity was always guaranteed to drop just purely based on the schedule. This period of games is a nightmare as a player.
"It's a hard old slog at this time of the season and you just have to manage it the best you can. The boys that came off the bench did well and we saw the game out which was important
"I'm not sure what the script is from above but we'll just keep plodding away until we're told otherwise."
Preston boss Paul Heckingbottom:
"The goals we conceded were shocking and that's what gave the game away. We gave them three goals. The three goals were terrible. They punished us and defended better than us.
"It's just frustrating. I would have liked West Brom to have had to work harder than that. And I'm certainly going to look at our approach away from home.
"I get so frustrated because they're better than what they're showing but at the minute it seems only I think that. I want to be a good force away from home as well.
"It sounds like I'm hammering the players but I'm not. It's just something I don't want to see happen."
