Andre Gray scored his first Plymouth goal as the Pilgrims came from behind to draw with Preston
Morgan Whittaker equalised in stoppage-time as Plymouth fought back from 3-0 down to dramatically rescue a point against Preston at Home Park.
Sam Greenwood volleyed the Lilywhites ahead, via a deflection off Plymouth defender Kornel Szucs, before Preston deservedly added a breakaway second when Emil Riis teed up Mads Frokjaer-Jensen to side-foot into the bottom corner.
Preston loanee Kaine Kesler-Hayden sent substitute Brad Potts away to chip a third early in the second half, before Pilgrims debutant Freddie Issaka cut the deficit.
Andre Gray headed in his first Argyle goal with eight minutes left before Whittaker turned in three minutes into stoppage time to seal an unlikely draw.
The dramatic late finish keeps Plymouth a point and a place above the bottom three and extends 16th-placed Preston’s winless away run to 11 league matches.
Plymouth boss Wayne Rooney responded to the midweek defeat at Millwall with four offensive changes after criticising his side's attack, but a fourth blank in five matches looked on the cards as the Pilgrims failed to land a first-half shot on target.
Preston - scorers of just three goals in five previous league away trips - could have had more to show for their first-half dominance than a two-goal lead.
Argyle keeper Dan Grimshaw had already saved one-on-one from Greenwood before the 22-year-old netted for the second game running, and he then denied Riis when put through by Potts.
Frokjaer-Jensen’s first-half stoppage-time goal and Potts' first goal since January looked to have put Preston out of sight.
Plymouth had hope when 18-year-old Issaka pounced on a rebound after Freddie Woodman’s full-stretch save kept out Adam Randell’s dipping free-kick, but it was Grimshaw who kept the hosts in it before the late heroics.
He denied Greenwood a second and then sub Duane Holmes, while Riis shot narrowly wide when through, and Preston were made to pay in a breathless finale.
Gray headed in Bali Mumba’s cross from close range for his first EFL goal since May 2022, and after Mustapha Bundu had teed up Whittaker to finish, the former Burnley striker almost won it for the hosts with a curling volley which Woodman had to claw away.
Plymouth Argyle manager Wayne Rooney told BBC Radio Devon:
“I’m angry really. That performance is nowhere near good enough.
“For an hour of that game it didn’t look like us at all. We were easy to play against, we weren’t putting tackles in, we weren’t getting to the ball.
“I’m obviously pleased to get a point out of the game, but I can’t accept that performance.
“There have been games this season where we’ve been really good, but the last three games have been a blip and we have to snap out of it because today could have been much worse.”
Preston North End boss Paul Heckingbottom told BBC Radio Lancashire:
“It’s clear to see why we didn't come away with the three points in how we defended those key moments - not following a free kick in, missing a tackle, not dealing with a cross - everything we’d been doing really, really well.
“We should have had a hell of a lot more points and should be really comfortable, pushing that top end of the table because that’s another performance where we’ve showed we’re capable.
“We had opportunities all game, and even when Plymouth went to 3-1 we had the better ones.
“It’s just so disappointing how we defended those moments because it’s out of nothing, and that’s not being disrespectful to Plymouth.
“Everything was in front of us, we really limited them, but it’s our own fault.”
