Preston North End had drawn four straight games ahead of their trip to Cardiff
Preston North End won their first Championship game in 11 matches, picking up a 2-0 victory at struggling Cardiff City.
Josh Bowler and Yakou Meite exchanged first half efforts as both sides struggled to make an impression in the Welsh capital.
The deadlock was broken minutes into the second half, Mads Frokjaer's cross bouncing off both Cardiff centre-backs before Calum Chambers' final touch saw the ball roll into the Bluebirds' net.
Cardiff came close to a leveller when Perry Ng's header beat Freddie Woodman in the Preston goal, but Jack Whatmough cleared the ball off the line.
And with the Bluebirds throwing everything forward in stoppage time, Milutin Osmajic took advantage of a mistake by Dimitrios Goutas to round Jak Alnwick and seal the win.
Cardiff remain in the Championship's relegation zone after a fourth defeat in six games, Preston meanwhile climb to 14th with a first away league win of the season.
Cardiff manager Omer Riza, who was taking change of his first game since being appointed on a permanent basis, made three changes from their 2-2 draw at Coventry.
Andy Rinomhota replaced the suspended Manolis Siopis for just his second league start of the season, while Rubin Colwill and Joel Bagan replaced David Turnbull and Jamilu Collins.
Preston made two changes from their 1-1 draw with Sheffield Wednesday, as former Cardiff winger Bowler and centre-back Liam Lindsay came into the starting line-up.
And it was the Preston pair who made an early impact, as Bowler forced a save from Jak Alnwick after five minutes, and from the resulting corner Lindsay's header went just wide.
Bowler - who was on loan with the Bluebirds last season - looked lively early on, and he forced another save from Alnwick after bursting into the Cardiff box and cutting back onto his left foot.
The next half hour dragged by without either side threatening, as the atmosphere inside the Cardiff City Stadium became almost non-existent.
It took a coming togehter between Ng and Frokjaer to raise the tempo, with the Preston man perhaps fortunate to receive just a yellow card after kicking out at the Cardiff full-back.
Cardiff's best chance of the game came a minute later, as Callum Robinson's though ball to Meite beat the offside trap. Meite's shot beat Preston goalkeeper Woodman, but the retreating Jordan Storey did brilliant to clear the ball off the line.
The visitors finished the first half on top, with Sam Greenwood and Frokjaer both going close.
Preston started the second half as they finished the first, but this time were rewarded for their efforts.
It took an own goal to break the deadlock, as Frokjaer's cross first ricocheted off the knee of Goutas and then the boot of Chambers to wrong-foot Alnwick.
The Bluebirds saw more of the ball after the goal, and were almost level when Ng's header needed another goal-line clearence, this time by Whatmough.
Riza turned to his bench to try and inspire some creativity, with the home crowd getting increasingly frustrated at the lack of clear-cut chances.
Anwar El Ghazi, Chris Willock, Joe Ralls and Michael Reindork were all thrown on for the Bluebirds, but none of them had the desired impact.
In reality it was Preston who looked more likely to score on the counter attack, but Stefan Teitur Thordarson could not keep his effort down when presented with the chance to shoot on the edge of the Cardiff box.
And as six minutes of added time were shown to the crowd, substitute Osmajic put the result beyond doubt with his first Preston goal away from home.
Boos rang around the Cardiff City Stadium as the full-time whistle was blown, except in one small corner of the ground where the handful of travelling Preston fans enjoyed every minute.
Cardiff City manager Omer Riza told BBC Radio Wales:
"I don't think we showed quality in possession, when we were on the ball we were untidy with it.
"They lacked quality today, the intensity was not good enough and too many players were waiting for things to happen rather than making them happen.
"The drive has to be there, desire, hunger... all the things we are when we are young and coming through need to be there and it was terrible today."
Preston North End manager Paul Heckingbottom told BBC Radio Lancashire:
"It's all about the result when we've been playing the way we have been. You have to win when you're not at your best and I'm really pleased with that.
"That's not one of our most dominant performances, we know we can play better than that.
"But to get a clean sheet and two goals is so important, and we had some real experience on the bench to help us see the game out."
