Blackburn Rovers left Deepdale empty-handed after a 2-1 defeat they had only themselves to blame for.
Callum Lang's first-half brace gave their Lancashire rivals their first Championship win of the season. Stanley Mills' own goal gave Rovers hope, but they could not find an equaliser.
Rovers missed several good chances and conceded two soft goals to leave Tony Mowbray frustrated.
Once again, their lack of options from the bench was clear as they failed to find a late equaliser.
Lancashire Telegraph breaks down the key talking points from a derby defeat at Deepdale.
Two sloppy concessions
After working hard for a clean sheet in midweek, Rovers will be angry about the two cheap goals they conceded.
They defended their box excellently a few days ago at Lincoln but not at Preston. Yuri Ribeiro, a star performer at Sincil Bank, was a key contributor to both.
He completely switched off at the back post for Lang's opener, allowing the PNE attacker to get in front of him. It has to be said that Delano Burgzorg was given too much space in the penalty area to fire the cross-shot in the first instance.
He completely switched off at the back post for Lang's opener, allowing the PNE attacker to get in front of him. It has to be said that Delano Burgzorg was given too much space in the penalty area to fire the cross-shot in the first instance.
The second goal was even poorer. Ribeiro was easily rolled and gave away a dangerous free-kick that was badly defended.
Adam Forshaw is guilty of letting Lang get in front of him and there has to be a question asked of Aynsley Pears. When the attacker is heading the ball in from inside the six-yard box, it raises the argument that he could've been more dominant in that area.
Adam Forshaw is guilty of letting Lang get in front of him and there has to be a question asked of Pears. When the attacker is heading the ball in from inside the six-yard box, it raises the argument that he could've been more dominant in that area.
To be fair to Pears, he made an important save in the second half to prevent it from being 3-1 and was fine outside of that moment.
Missed chances prove costly
It was a bizarre start: Rovers were the better side and created the clearest chances.
Todd Cantwell was denied by the feet of Daniel Iversen after a mix-up in the Preston defence. There were a few of those, with the hosts looking quite ropey at the back.
Dapo Afolayan also went close shortly after Lang's opener before the big chance fell Ryoya Morishita's way. It was a great pick out from Andri Gudjohnsen but the forward somehow didn't score.
Live in the stadium, it looked like he had somehow blazed it well over, though the referee pointed for a corner. With the benefit of a replay, it did clearly hit the defender but Mori should have scored. It was a huge chance.
At half-time, I still had some belief Rovers could muster a fightback considering the chances they'd created. It took six minutes for the deficit to be halved with Mills turning Ryan Alebiosu's cross into his own net. Once again, Rovers' right side looked like their best avenue of attack.
But aside from Iversen making saves you'd expect him to make from Cantwell and Gudjohnsen, there wasn't a huge wave of pressure, especially as the game wore on.
Jayden Fevrier hit the bar with a rasping shot moments after coming on but Preston saw the final 20 minutes out well. Owing, no doubt, to their ability to make changes from the bench.
Missing midfield dynamism
I thought Rovers really struggled in central midfield, especially in the first half. With no disrespect intended, it looked like they had two 34-year-olds playing together - because they did.
Sam Morsy particularly struggled and why wouldn't he? At this stage of his career, starting two games in the space of a few days is a big ask.
I was surprised he wasn't off at half-time. He was on a yellow card and was lacking his usual bite and tenacity to get around the pitch. Whenever Preston turned the ball over, they were in on the Rovers defence.
Forshaw struggled too, although he took more control in the second half. Kristi Montgomery had a good game at centre-back before moving into midfield for the final 30 minutes.
They missed his energy and youthful legs in midfield. It again highlights why they needed a peak-age player for that position so badly. Of course, they went after Brian De Keersmaecker and Reo Hatate on deadline day, only to be gazumped.
A tired squad shows fatigue
Can it be any wonder that we're talking about players looking tired? Rovers have played four matches in the last two weeks and, Sheffield United aside, have barely made a change.
The players who suffered a dip at Deepdale gave everything in midweek and would have, ideally, come out. Ribeiro looked like a player who wasn't fully fit for both goals. Morsy was similar as he struggled to meet the pace of the game.
The decision-making in the final third did not always produce quality and Rovers would've liked to introduce fresh legs in that area too.
Instead, all they had was Fevrier and a 17-year-old Harvey Higgins, making his first-team debut.
A frustrating end to a bad week
As weeks go, it's been a pretty bad one. Rovers will want to put this behind them but until the injuries ease, there will be a constant reminder of their transfer window failings with that bench.
The hope is that they can muddle through the next three games, reach the international break and recover some players. But how many will they lose in that period?
Does Gudjohnsen have another 270 minutes plus in him? It's a huge risk. Ribeiro certainly doesn't, though it's unclear whether Harry Pickering could return before the break.
It only compounds the inability to sign sufficient players to add genuine depth to this squad. Eight of the nine players on the bench were Academy products, with only Hayden Carter, Jake Garrett and Fevrier genuine first-team players.
Things don't get any easier next week. Sheffield United and Millwall at home offer fans the opportunity to voice that frustration further if results don't go to plan.
Mowbray can only keep his fingers crossed that things don't get worse before they get better, fitness-wise.
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