Report and streaming video highlights from Friday night’s Preston North End vs. Sheffield United Sky Bet Championship match at Deepdale; Blades win thanks to goals from Gustavo Hamer and Ollie Arblaster.
On their return to the Championship, Sheffield United defeated Preston 2-0 with goals from Oliver Arblaster and Gustavo Hamer.
Academy standout Arblaster gave the score a first with a deflected attempt in the 12th minute, and in the 55th, Hamer added a second when Freddie Woodman made a mistake.
The mood at Deepdale was upbeat, and Will Keane almost provided some early joy for the home crowd when he connected with Robbie Brady’s cross in the first minute of play. However, he was unable to maintain his first-time effort.
Arblaster, who had entered the game with confidence, was found by Andre Brooks on the edge of the box. His shot deflected off Andrew Hughes and went past a wrong-footed Woodman.
Nothing better demonstrated this than in the 19th minute, when Callum O’Hare, a former Coventry player, was destined to score his first goal when he surged into the area, but captain Ben Whiteman recovered wonderfully to prevent him.
Though Adam Davies and Jack Robinson made the appropriate blocks, the home team was still very much in the game. New addition Stefan Thordarson was making an impression, setting up Brad Potts and Emil Riis in the 34th and 36th minutes, respectively.
After the break, the Lilywhites came out firing, as just after the restart, Kieffer Moore unleashed an audacious 20-yard volley and Sam Greenwood and Jack Whatmough both missed close range chances.
After finding space in behind, Moore was back in the thick of things on minute 51, smashing a shot into the side netting. Four minutes later, Brooks curled a meek attempt into Woodman’s hands from a promising position.
But after stopping Brooks’ shot, the Preston goalkeeper passed the ball directly to Hamer, who skillfully chipped home from 30 yards after gaining possession of the ball.
After making that mistake, Hamer, O’Hare, and Arblaster began to ping the ball with such a true swagger that it appeared as though they were playing with their opponents, giving Wilder’s team the upper hand.
Completely engaged Thordarson pricked Davies’ palms with a close-range drive in the 66th minute.