Ryan Lowe praised the “togetherness” of his table-topping Preston side after they won 2-0 at Stoke.
A second-half Will Keane double was the difference as the Lilywhites continued their unbeaten start to the season.
Half-time substitute Duane Holmes proved instrumental for the visitors, winning a penalty for Keane’s opener and then teeing up his side’s second.
Keane converted from 12 yards and tapped in for a simple brace, notching his third and fourth goals since a summer switch from Wigan.
In the process, Preston won their fourth league game in a row for the first time since May 2021.
“I’m really pleased. The performance was fantastic,” Lowe said. “We were defensively solid and resolute, and we knew we could create some chances as well.
“They’re a good team, got some good players and spent a lot of money, but we’ve got that real togetherness.
“We knew it was going to be tough, but our lads put their bodies on the line and deservedly came away with three points.
“We’ve got that togetherness with the group knowing what they’re doing and they left everything out there.
“I’ve always got belief, we’re going to enjoy the moment because we know it’s going to get harder because people are going to want to beat us.
“But that’s fine, we’ve got that real hunger and togetherness, and the lads are taking leadership and going about their business fantastically well.
“I’ve got an unbelievable group of staff who work tirelessly to give the lads everything and they’re buying into it and long may that continue.
“The group behind the players who haven’t been playing have been great, are sticking together and they’ve got that real family feel about them.
“We’ve got more depth, we’ve got good players, we’ve recruited smartly and we’re going to keep smiling and enjoy the moment.”
Ex-Preston boss Alex Neil, who spent just shy of four years at Deepdale, endured a frustrating afternoon at the hands of his former employers.
The hosts had to wait until the 77th minute before registering their first shot on target as their four-match winning run at home was ended.
“It was a frustrating game and there wasn’t much in it,” Neil noted.
“The first goal was always going to be vitally important because if they get it, they’ve been excellent at seeing the game out.
“The second goal was disappointing and at that point we’ve got a mountain to climb, and we huffed and puffed but it wasn’t enough.
“We know the magnitude of the changes we’ve made this summer and we had a new set of players today.
“We were trying to win a league game against a team which has been together for a significant amount of time and knows how to function.
“I’m not trying to blame that for the result, I just thought there were two key moments and we didn’t get them right.
“It was a frustrating day for us and I didn’t think Preston needed to play well to win.
“We know how much has changed at the club and it’s been a baptism of fire; there’s so much churn and it’s hard to get any continuity.
“What will happen in the next few games is we’ll find where people are in the pecking order so that will become clearer.”
Kurzawa to follow Mbappe through PSG exit door
Defender Layvin Kurzawa will leave Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the season after nine years with the Ligue 1 giants, he announced on Monday.
Left-back Kurzawa joined PSG from Monaco in 2015 for €23million and has made 154 appearances for the Parisiens.
However, the 31-year-old has fallen out of favour in recent years and has played just eight minutes in one match throughout the 2023-24 campaign.
Kurzawa was loaned out to Premier League club Fulham in the 2022-23 season after not playing for the French side for more than 11 months, but he made just six appearances for the English outfit.
"I've had some great times, as well as some tough ones," he wrote in a post on X. "But I want you to know that my love for Paris Saint-Germain is sincere.
"I know that our relationship has sometimes been complicated, but I want you to know that I can only take back the positive and that I have been privileged to have called the Parc des Princes my home for all these years."
Kurzawa's announcement comes after Kylian Mbappe played his final home game for PSG on Sunday, a 3-1 defeat to Toulouse.
Mbappe is widely expected to join Champions League finalists Real Madrid after opting not to activate a one-year extension clause in the big-money deal he signed with PSG in 2022.
Manchester City's success is "not boring" or purely determined by financial reasons, head coach Pep Guardiola insists.
The Citizens are on the hunt for an unprecedented fourth successive Premier League title, and could become the first team to win back-to-back doubles should they also prevail in the FA Cup final later this month.
Once again, City appear to be hitting form at just the right time, winning each of their last four matches by an aggregate scoreline of 15-1.
Guardiola's side are a point behind leaders Arsenal heading into the final week of the campaign, and will leapfrog the Gunners should they win their game in hand against Tottenham.
But the Spaniard rejected the claim City's success is becoming too predictable - or that it is down to the money they have spent - believing other teams would have lifted more silverware than his side had that been the case.
"It's not boring," he said. "It's difficult. Before, it was the money. For that reason, Manchester United should have won all the titles, Chelsea - all the titles, Arsenal - all the titles.
"They spent as much money in the last five years as us. They should be there. They are not there.
"For that reason, Girona shouldn’t be in the Champions League [next season] and Leicester should win the Premier League."
City will take a giant step towards that fourth straight Premier League crown with victory at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Tuesday.
While Guardiola admits the achievement was not at the forefront of his squad's intentions at the beginning of the campaign, he is well aware of it's significance.
"In the beginning of the season, we didn't think about it," he added. "But then we were in February, March and April, we were still there [in the title race]. After that, it ignites something in all our heads.
"No team has done it. That shows how hard it is. Liverpool in the 1980s, Alex Ferguson's [Manchester] United in the 1990s. Chelsea with [Roman] Abramovich and Jose [Mourinho], Arsenal with [Arsene] Wenger didn't do it."
Barcelona pleased to have second-place battle with Girona in their own hands
Barcelona face a tough battle to secure a second-place finish in LaLiga but are pleased to have their fate in their own hands with three games remaining, says defender Inigo Martinez.
Barca leapfrogged Girona into second with Monday's 2-0 home win over Real Sociedad, going one point clear of their Catalan rivals after they drew 2-2 with Alaves on Friday.
Lamine Yamal put Xavi's team ahead in the 40th minute when he coolly slotted home from Ilkay Gundogan's pass after a quick breakaway, then Raphinha's stoppage-time penalty made certain of the win.
The Blaugrana go to Almeria on Thursday before hosting Rayo Vallecano in their final home game of the season on Sunday. They then bring their campaign to a close at Sevilla on May 25.
"There is still a long way to go. It will be a battle to the end. Girona are very strong," Martinez told Movistar after Monday's game.
"It's in our hands now. I think the team is very good. It's three valuable points. We had some mistakes in the first half, but in the second half I think we could have finished it off earlier."
Teenage winger Yamal believes Xavi's side – who are some 14 points adrift of champions Real Madrid – may need maximum points to hold off Girona.
"It was an important game to regain second place and we have to try to make it a nine-point week," the 16-year-old said.
"La Real did very well in the first half but then we were able to improve. There was a good feeling in the whole team."
Xavi, meanwhile, was pleased to see his team pass a difficult test, saying: "La Real always make it difficult for us.
"They are always very organised, aggressive, you don't create danger for them. It's an important victory for us. We played a good game in general."
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