Daniel Farke made four changes to the side that drew 1-1 against Blackburn Rovers prior to the international break, Bali Mumba, Andrew Omobamidele, Xavi Quintilla and Jacob Sorensen coming in for Max Aarons, Ben Gibson, Dimitris Giannoulis and Oliver Skipp.

Preston began the game on the front foot after Todd Cantwell dragged a shot wide from Quintilla's cleared cross, Ryan Ledson's corner headed over the bar at the far post by Jordan Storey.

With the sun against the City defence, a long throw into the box caused problems moments later, Scott Sinclair scuffing the ball to Ched Evans, who scooped it wide of the post with his back to goal.

Cantwell then had a shot blocked into the path of Mumba, who was denied by the onrushing Daniel Iversen, who swung up his right arm to prevent the City right-back giving Norwich the lead.

Preston came close again at the other end, Kenny McLean giving the ball away and Emil Riis seeing his shot saved by the left foot of Tim Krul. The re-bound fell to Evans who could only head wide.

So it was against the run of play when the Canaries took the lead in style, Preston failing to capitalise on a throw in deep inside the City half, allowing Mumba, Cantwell and Teemu Pukki to counter. It eventually ran for Buendia, who came in onto his left foot and curled inside the far post from around 25 yards out beautifully.

Just under ten minutes later, Cantwell had another go for goal from distance, the ball bouncing before reaching Iversen, who was able to get down to his right to save comfortably.

Pukki could have made it 2-0 in the 31st minute after he was played through on goal by Buendia, but the Finnish forward saw his shot dribble wide of the far post.

Mumba raced forward to support Pukki in the 38th minute, overlapping on the outside to create space for the latter to come in onto his left foot and curl marginally wide of the far post from just outside the area.

Omobamidele, who settled into the first half looking like a centre-back beyond his age of 18, headed behind for a corner from a long-distance shot by Riis on the brink of half-time, before City took the 1-0 lead into the break.

buendia goal v preston.jpg

Kieran Dowell was pulling the strings for Norwich at the start of the second half, lifting the ball over the top of the Preston defence for Pukki to run onto. He took his time and saw the angle narrowing before smashing a shot onto the underside of the crossbar, the ball unfortunately bouncing out and away.

Dowell then pressed his former Everton teammate Ryan Ledson to win the ball in the final third, before looking for Buendia with a ball into the box, the cross just escaping the Argentine and bouncing out for a goal-kick.

Farke made his first change of the game in the 72nd minute, Marco Stiepermann coming on for Dowell.

In the 77th minute, Norwich missed another good chance to take a more comfortable lead, Stiepermann finding Buendia who, characteristically, spotted the run of Pukki. His delicate shot again sailed wide of the far post.

Skipp was next to be introduced, replacing Buendia in the 81st minute.

Stiepermann looked good after coming on, benefitting from Cantwell's ball control to line up a shot from distance in the 84th minute, but it was too close to Iversen.

Onel Hernandez and Jordan Hugill, the latter against his former club, then came on in place of Cantwell and Pukki respectively.

Four minutes of stoppage time were added onto the end of the second half and Potts equalised in the fifth, his shot deflecting off Omobamidele and going in at the near post.

Preston XI: Iversen (GK), Van Den Berg, Lindsay, Johnson (C) (Potts 64'), Storey, Hughes, Ledson, Riis (Gordon 71'), Evans (Whiteman 71'), Barkhuizen (Maguire 71'), Sinclair (Molumby 57')
Subs not used: Hudson (GK), Huntington, Bayliss, Bodin
Goals: Potts (90+5')
Bookings: Ledson (8')

Norwich XI: Krul (GK), Mumba, Hanley (C), Omobamidele, Quintilla, Sorensen, McLean, Buendia (Skipp 81'), Dowell (Stiepermann 72'), Cantwell (Hernandez 88'), Pukki (Hugill 88')
Subs not used: Nyland (GK), Tettey, Vrancic, Martin, Placheta
Goals: Buendia (17')
Bookings: Hernandez (90+1')

HT: 0-1
Venue: Deepdale Stadium
Referee: Dean Whitestone
Attendance: None

City suffer late equaliser in 1-1 draw at Preston

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