Norwich City subdue Preston to climb the table | OneFootball

Match in Five Sentences: Norwich City beat Preston North End 2-0 in the Championship. Ali Ahmed opened the scoring in the 17th minute with a left-footed finish from the centre of the box. Kenny McLean then doubled the lead with a superb free-kick into the top right corner (39.). After the restart, Vladan Kovacevic denied the visitors repeatedly as Preston's pressure failed to find a way through. The Canaries rise from 15th to 12th and visit Southampton next, while Preston drop from 14th to 17th and host Stoke City next.

Player of the Match: Kenny McLean ran midfield and decided the contest, scoring from a free-kick and completing 52 of 64 passes with two tackles won.

Stat of the Match: Preston registered 13 shots inside the box, yet the finishing touch deserted them.

Three Things We Learned: McLean's set-piece threat remains a weapon, with his direct free-kick the cushion before half-time. Preston created volume with 15 attempts but could not convert despite working good areas in the box. Canaries controlled possession at 62.3%, completing 77.2% of passes to manage the game.