Devine Double Lifts Preston Over Stoke City at Deepdale

It was a night of high drama and shifting fortunes at Deepdale as Preston North End stormed back from an early deficit to defeat Stoke City 3-1 in the 39th round of the 2025-2026 English Championship. On 21 March 2026, the home crowd witnessed a clinical Preston side, led by a sensational Alfie Devine brace, snap their seven-game winless streak and leapfrog their visitors in the league table. Stoke, despite drawing first blood, saw their two-match unbeaten run come to a grinding halt as their play-off hopes took another dent.

Stoke City wasted no time getting on the front foot, stunning the home support just four minutes into the contest. Sorba Thomas, always a threat down the flank, found himself at the right place at the right time, latching onto Junior Tchamadeu's floated cross and slotting home a first-time finish. The ball bounced awkwardly in front of Preston goalkeeper Daniel Iverson, sneaking past him to put the Potters ahead. For a team that had found some recent stability, it looked like Stoke were set to control the tempo early on.

But Preston, desperate to end their miserable run, responded with energy and purpose. The equaliser came in the 15th minute and it was a thing of beauty. After intercepting a long throw from Stoke, Alfie Devine burst through midfield, running half the length of the pitch before coolly dispatching a composed finish past Tommy Simkin. According to beIN Sports, "Devine finished off a stunning counter-attack to restore parity 11 minutes later." The goal not only levelled the score but flipped the momentum entirely, with the home side growing in confidence with each passing minute.

As the first half wore on, both teams pressed for a breakthrough. Stoke enjoyed the lion’s share of possession—54.3% by the final whistle—and sent in a barrage of crosses, 22 in total, earning nine corners. Yet, for all their ball control, they struggled to create clear-cut chances, managing only two shots on target all match. Preston, on the other hand, were ruthlessly efficient, converting all three of their shots on target into goals and topping the expected goals (xG) charts 2.81 to 0.99. It was a classic case of quality over quantity, and the home side’s tactical discipline began to tell.

The second half saw a key tactical change for Stoke as Bae Joon-ho, the 23-year-old South Korean midfielder hailed as the "future of Korean football," was introduced in the 48th minute. Bae, who had started the previous four matches, was called up off the bench after defensive midfielder Steven Nzonzi suffered an injury with the game tied at one apiece. Bae immediately injected energy and creativity into the Stoke attack, recording one created chance, a shot, and a 73% pass completion rate (8 out of 11) during his 42 minutes on the pitch, according to statistics platform Footmob. He even came close to scoring in stoppage time, narrowly missing the target with a header.

Yet, just as Stoke looked to regain control, Preston struck twice in quick succession to put the match out of reach. In the 57th minute, Lewis Dobbin whipped in a pinpoint cross from a set piece, finding Milutin Osmajic at the near post. Osmajic’s glancing header sailed past Simkin, sending Deepdale into raptures and giving Preston their first lead of the night. The visitors, clearly rattled, barely had time to regroup before Devine returned to haunt them again. Just three minutes later, in the 60th minute, Osmajic turned provider, slotting a clever pass into Devine’s path. The midfielder made no mistake, chipping a sublime finish over Simkin and into the back of the net for his second of the evening.

From there, Preston’s defense, which had won an impressive 83.3% of its tackles on the night, stood firm. The home side’s resilience was epitomized by Andrew Moran, who not only set up the equaliser but also won three tackles, showing plenty of graft alongside his creative spark. Lewis Dobbin, too, was instrumental, notching an assist and delivering three key passes, including the delivery for Osmajic’s header. Stoke, meanwhile, continued to push, but their end product was sorely lacking—despite their 13 total attempts, they simply couldn’t find a way past Iverson again.

Alfie Devine’s performance was the headline act. Named Player of the Match, he finished with two goals, two key passes, and a remarkable 28 accurate passes from 34 attempts, knitting Preston’s attacking play together. According to OffsAIde, "Devine decided it with a brace, adding two key passes and 28 accurate passes from 34 to knit Preston's attacks together." His dynamism and composure under pressure proved decisive, keeping Preston’s faint play-off hopes alive and sending a message to the rest of the Championship.

The victory was more than just three points for Paul Heckingbottom’s side. It snapped a seven-game winless run (two draws, five losses) and propelled Preston from 17th up to 12th in the league table, now just six points off the play-off positions. Stoke, on the other hand, saw their brief resurgence come to an end, dropping from 13th to 14th and remaining on 51 points. For Bae Joon-ho, there was some personal encouragement despite the result; though he didn’t add to his season tally of three goals and three assists in 40 appearances, he maintained strong form ahead of his upcoming international duty with South Korea’s national team under manager Hong Myung-bo.

Looking ahead, Preston will hope to build on this momentum as they prepare for a tough trip to Leicester City, while Stoke City must regroup quickly before hosting Sheffield Wednesday. The performance of young stars like Devine and Bae suggests both clubs have plenty to be optimistic about, even as the season heads into its final stretch.

In the end, it was a night to remember for Preston North End and a reminder to Stoke City of the fine margins that define the Championship. With play-off dreams still flickering and relegation worries kept at bay, both teams now turn their attention to the next challenge—hoping to write the next chapter in this unpredictable campaign.