Charlton Athletic made the sharper start at The Valley and were rewarded when Joe Rankin-Costello swept home after Sonny Carey's long throw had been flicked on, but their lead lasted only seven minutes. Preston North End responded through Lewis Dobbin, who looped a header beyond Will Mannion from Brad Potts' delivery, and the contest began to tilt away from the hosts.
Preston built on that recovery after the interval, controlling long spells and taking the lead on 65 minutes when Dobbin drove forward on the counter and released Potts for a composed finish. Charlton pushed for a late equaliser, with Daniel Iversen making a vital close-range intervention from Lloyd Jones, yet the visitors held on for a 2-1 win that was both their first away success since January 4 and just their third victory in 16 Championship matches.
Charlton's bright opening lights up The Valley
The opening belonged to Charlton. Greg Docherty flashed a left-footed volley narrowly over after only 55 seconds, and Tyreece Campbell immediately looked dangerous down the flank. Rankin-Costello then came even closer, meeting Campbell's cross with a header that struck the left-hand post before bouncing back into Iversen's arms.