Birmingham City 4-0 Preston North End: Highlights/Report, man of the match, stats as August Priske stars in convincing home victory

Birmingham City picked up their archetypal Championship location triumph of the play with a commanding 4-0 occurrence implicit Preston North End.

The hosts were successful implicit power of the St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park contention passim and opened the scoring successful 34th infinitesimal done Liam Millar, who is up to 5 extremity contributions since arriving connected indebtedness from Hull City.

Things got considerably worse for Preston earlier the referee could prevention them with the half-time whistle, arsenic August Priske netted a two-minute brace to enactment Birmingham 3 goals up and successful the clearest of waters.

Any faint anticipation of a second-period comeback for the visitors was extinguished by Stanley Mills's 2nd yellowish paper pursuing the restart, with substitute Demarai Gray curling location an emphatic 4th to enactment further gloss connected the result.

Victorious successful back-to-back Championship games for the archetypal clip this season, Birmingham alert up to 3rd spot successful the standings aft 10 matches, whereas Preston stay rooted to the ft of the table, winless nether caller caput manager Graham Alexander.

SPORTS MOLE'S VERDICT

Carter White unrecorded from St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park

After 4 consecutive chaotic location draws astatine the opening of this Championship season, Birmingham were successful the concern of power for the entirety of tonight, with a archetypal St Andrew's triumph of 2026-27 ne'er successful doubt.

There were question marks implicit whether Blues could interruption down an distant squad who would beryllium blessed to beryllium successful and frustrate, however, those worries person been enactment to furniture pursuing a demolition of the division's bottommost side.

Chris Davies's men added different drawstring to their promotion-hunting bow and flexed their enviable squad extent connected the flanks aft gritty distant victories truthful acold this campaign, with the hosts bringing Patrick Roberts into the XI to torment a leaky Preston backline.

The Lilywhites person present mislaid 8 of their opening 10 matches of the season, and 2 consecutive defeats since the extremity of the planetary interruption person demonstrated the enormity of the task that faces caller caput manager Alexander.

BIRMINGHAM CITY VS. PRESTON NORTH END KEY MOMENTS

34th min: Birmingham City 1-0 Preston North End (Liam Millar)

Birmingham's persistence pays off!

Once again, Blues are probing Preston down the right-hand side, wherever Roberts gets successful down the visitors' backline.

It looks arsenic if the winger should sprout himself, however, helium smartly cuts the shot crossed the container for Millar, who smashes a first-time effort past Daniel Iversen.

45th +2 min: Birmingham City 2-0 Preston North End (August Priske)

Priske gets onto the scoresheet successful back-to-back matches!

A free-kick is taken abbreviated by Millar to Alex Cochrane, with the left-back delivering his trademark debased transportation tantalisingly down the Preston backline.

Whilst those of a Lilywhites persuasion basal still, Birmingham's Danish marksman is connected the move, arriving onto the transverse and finishing expertly.

45th +4 min: Birmingham City 3-0 Preston North End (August Priske)

A quickfire brace for Priske arsenic Preston capitulate successful the Second City!

Birmingham's mantra nether Davies - property to people - is successful afloat effect arsenic Jhon Solis wins possession successful Preston's half, with the shot yet falling to Stansfield.

Blues' poster lad passes sidewards to Priske, who fires a cultured onslaught from the borderline of the container successful disconnected the post, with Iversen a helpless bystander successful goal. 

56th min: Stanley Mills (Preston North End) reddish card

And determination goes immoderate anticipation of a second-half comeback for Preston...

Mills bundles the shot past Bright Osayi-Samuel and flies into a situation against Cochrane, but the 22-year-old catches the Birmingham defender, picking up his 2nd yellowish card.

A fewer Preston fans are heading towards the exit, and you cannot blasted them for losing content arsenic their broadside hurtle towards a chastening defeat.

76th min: Birmingham City 4-0 Preston North End (Demarai Gray)

Gray arrives disconnected the seat to heap the misery connected Preston!

The Jamaica planetary takes up his accustomed spot connected the near flank and cuts wrong connected his close ft towards the borderline of the Lilywhites' box.

With plentifulness of clip to constitute himself, the 30-year-old curls a trademark onslaught past Iversen, who is erstwhile again stranded successful the mediate of the visitors' net.

MAN OF THE MATCH - AUGUST PRISKE

Whilst Birmingham person an abundance of options successful wide-attacking positions, the aforesaid cannot beryllium said for cardinal areas, mounting the unit connected Priske to beryllium Blues' goal-getter this season.

That is an important relation during his archetypal afloat Championship campaign, however, the Dane looks up for the task connected tonight's evidence, utilizing his objective instincts to drawback a superb brace conscionable earlier fractional time.

The 22-year-old has present netted 3 goals since returning from the planetary interruption and volition beryllium a deserved collector of the post-match praise, though the performances of Roberts, Millar and Cochrane were besides exceptional.

BIRMINGHAM CITY VS. PRESTON NORTH END MATCH STATS

Possession: Birmingham City 76%-24% Preston North End

Shots: Birmingham City 19-6 Preston North End

Shots connected target: Birmingham City 7-1 Preston North End

Corners: Birmingham City 6-3 Preston North End

Fouls: Birmingham City 9-13 Preston North End

WHAT NEXT?

Birmingham person moved further into the playoffs courtesy of a convincing triumph connected location soil, with Davies's men adjacent hosting Queens Park Rangers connected Saturday, hoping to grounds 3 consecutive wins.

Alexander's Preston instrumentality has started with back-to-back defeats and small crushed for Lilywhites optimism, however, a travel to Wrexham connected Saturday provides the Lancashire strugglers with a speedy accidental to respond.