Daniel Johnson’s second goal in as many games gave Championship play-off hopefuls Preston a battling 1-0 victory at Blackburn.
The midfielder pounced in the eighth minute with an emphatic finish to give the Lilywhites a lead they were ultimately able to hold on to, despite going down to 10 men in injury time after Darnell Fisher was given a second yellow card.
Victory at Ewood Park means North End are 10 games unbeaten, winning their last five on the road, a feat not achieved at this level since Sir Tom Finney’s playing days.
Defeat for Rovers – their sixth in seven games – makes this their longest winless league sequence in almost two years.
Rovers started well and a neat through-ball from Bradley Dack allowed Adam Armstrong to race clear on the left, but the forward’s drive drifted wide of the far post.
Preston were comfortable after the early strike but were thankful for Rudd’s intervention midway through the first half when he was at full strength to tip Danny Graham’s looping header behind.
From the resulting set-piece, Mulgrew’s cross found Armstrong, whose glancing header was lashed clear off the line by Fisher.
Fisher saw red late in injury time, receiving his second yellow for bringing down substitute Amari’i Bell.
