Rob Atkinson scored a brace to help Bristol City produce one of the narrow football scores of the weekend in the Championship. Zak Vyner flicked on a Mark Sykes cross in the 54th minute, and center-back Atkinson scored with a strong header. Eight minutes from time, though, North End equalized when Andrew Hughes drove the ball through a jam-packed six-yard box after City had failed to stop a Robbie Brady free-kick. Atkinson’s head was the recipient of Alex Scott’s left-wing corner at the opening of stoppage time, and he blasted the ball home from a tight angle.
In an unexpected move, City manager Nigel Pearson substituted Max O’Leary for the veteran goalkeeper Dan Bentley. His team got off to a quick start, and with Preston under intense early pressure, Antoine Semenyo’s shot in the second minute was blocked for a corner. The visitors were largely on the back foot for the first 20 minutes, but City was unable to locate a pivotal last pass to open a clean path. After 25 minutes, O’Leary had to make his first save as Preston began to exert more pressure, diving to stop Sean Maguire as he pounced on a Daniel Johnson through the pass.
Like the first, the second period started with the home team pressing. Before Atkinson broke the tie, Dasilva’s drive was stopped for a corner and Semenyo’s attempt off a Joe Williams assist went wide. In response to the goal, Preston manager Ryan Lowe made two substitutions, replacing Johnson and Maguire with Ben Woodburn and Ryan Ledson. As soon as his team made a breakaway, Emil Riis was almost level when O’Leary made a full-stretch save to stop him. Semenyo barely missed a shot during a single run as the game finally got going. Ten minutes from the end, the attacker, who was starting to appear more and more dangerous, saw Woodman parry another ferocious attempt.
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