Anthony Gordon put on a birthday showcase of his Premier League class for Preston against QPR

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Everton loanee Anthony Gordon was the clear Man of the Match for the hosts at Deepdale amidst a game that lacked final third quality.

The Preston winger was celebrating his 20th birthday and his fine display in his second start for Alex Neil’s side was deserving of a better result.

In a game that was devoid of quality, Gordon produced the most dribbles in the game with five and everything creatively adept from the hosts ran through him.

“He reminded me very much of Callum Robinson when I first walked through the door here,” Alex Neil said.

A fine comparison for a player that has mountains of room to grow as a player and Gordon himself feels that he will benefit from the squad around him, including the experienced Scott Sinclair who played on the other wing.

“I get on well with Scott, I will definitely be looking to learn from him,” Gordon said.

His humble nature was clear to see in his post-match interview. Yet, what shone through more was his relentless attitude to being the best he can be and expected more from himself at every venture.

“I’m harsh on myself and I was very disappointed not to get a goal or assist today,” the youngster said.

Throughout the game, Gordon’s intent to break the lines and drive Preston up the field when they were starting to sink into a deeper defensive setup as QPR had their spells of control, ensured that they broke out and remained an attacking threat.

Were it not for lacklustre finishing when it mattered, including from the Everton youngster himself when his header fired just over the bar, the hosts could have been well out of sight.

Their poor run of form is continuing but there were sparks in this game to show that they have the players capable to come out of it.

What Neil highlighted in his press conference was the need for patience with his squad.

Losing a number of key players late in the window and replacing them with young loanees who still need to get up to speed playing twice a week every week is something that does not bring instant success.

Gordon began to tire after the hour mark and it left his defensive positional play lacking when the visitors looked to counter.

Preston left four attacking options forward for most of the game, remaining brave in the face of a QPR side that boast their own forward threats as outlined by Ilias Chair who was a joy to watch calmly roaming in between the lines.

This meant that those forwards were left making up more ground than usual whenever they were required to offer defensive support and Neil himself felt Gordon’s fitness in the game meant these phases of play were more of a ‘risk’ and hence his replacement later in the game.

However, this was a real statement performance from Anthony Gordon, alongside Liverpool loanee Sepp Van Den Berg who, despite playing out of position at right back rather than his predominant centre half position, impressed and gave food for thought ahead of a tough run of fixtures.

It has given an air of confidence that North End will get themselves out of their current streak of one win in seven games and that was needed because pressure is ever-growing on Alex Neil to pull Preston out of the malaise.

Now circumstances have been unfortunate at times in terms of the late turnover of players and the need for a quick adaptation, but there is a core group of players in that side that are more than capable of putting a run of good performances together.

The spark is clear for the coming weeks and utilising the quality they have in Everton youngster, who ultimately could play in the Premier League right now if the offer was there, is vital to ensure the slide does not become irreparable.

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