In a goal of few opportunities played on a difficult Deepdale playing surface, the decisive goal was on 40 minutes when Alfie Devine’s looping header from Andrija Vukcevic’s cross found the net.
The Blues may fee; aggrieved not to have won a first-half penalty for Jordan Storey’s challenge on Adrian Segecic, while Andre Dozzell also drew a smart save from Dai Cornell.
Yet they struggled to carve out too many chances and ended up losing 1-0 – and here are our player ratings...
2. Terry Devlin of Portsmouth during the EFL Sky Bet Championship match between Preston North End and Portsmouth at Deepdale, Preston, UK on 7 February 2026.
Terry Devlin puts in a cross during Pompey's 1-0 defeat at Preston. Picture: Alun Roberts/ProSportsImages Photo: Alun Roberts
