Blackburn Rovers were left frustrated despite remaining unbeaten as they were held to a 0-0 draw against ten-man Preston North End.

Rovers are still yet to taste defeat in the Championship but will leave Deepdale wondering whether they could've had all three points.

They played with a man advantage for over half the encounter after Sam Greenwood was sent off before half-time. However, they couldn't unlock a very stubborn Preston defence and were forced to settle for a share of the spoils.

In truth, John Eustace's side created very little and the numbers were levelled up approaching stoppage time as Owen Beck was dismissed.

The best of the chances for Rovers were created in the first half as Ryan Hedges and Tyrhys Dolan went close in the same move. The former's shot was saved by the goalkeeper and Dolan hit the post from the rebound.

Greenwood was then dismissed for a two-footed tackle which went through the back of Lewis Baker. The referee had very little choice after a reckless challenge from the on-loan Leeds United man.

Rovers didn't take advantage though. They huffed and puffed in the second half but couldn't break Preston down despite numerous changes in the final third.

The game then exploded into life approaching stoppage time. Beck was sent off for an alleged kick out off the ball, the second Rovers red card in as many Lancashire derbies.

Aynsley Pears was then forced to deny Ben Whiteman and Brad Potts before the game finished without any score.

Eustace resisted the urge to tinker with a winning side after their dominant victory against Bristol City last time out. Harry Pickering and Makhtar Gueye returned to the bench after injury and suspension, respectively.

Rovers' last two visits to Deepdale had been eventful and not since the end of Tony Mowbray's tenure had they tasted victory on this ground. But against a reinvigorated North End, after Paul Heckingbottom's arrival, it was bound to be another tough test.

The opening 25 minutes were a typically cagey affair, with neither team giving the opposite an inch. Preston matched up Rovers' shape with a 4-2-3-1 without the ball but 3-4-2-1 with it.

That saw Josh Bowler swap flanks and come up against Hayden Carter down the left-hand side to offer width. Their first duel saw the Rovers man booked with 85 minutes still on the clock.

Whilst neither team fashioned anything clear-cut to talk about, it was the hosts who enjoyed the better of the territory. Rovers repeatedly fell into the trap of playing short from goal-kicks and then playing long balls without a clear focal point to aim for.

Ohashi offers a fantastic goal threat but, against three towering centre-backs, the absence of Gueye was obvious. That said, whilst Preston had looked after the ball better, they'd created very little, owing to no shots by either team after 33 minutes.

That soon changed though as Rovers went close to breaking the deadlock. Hedges picked the ball up in shooting range and let fly, forcing Freddie Woodman into a good save. The rebound fell to Dolan but he hit the post as the ball fired back to him.

Rovers got the shot in the arm they needed just before half-time though as they were given a man advantage. Greenwood went through the back of Baker with a two-footed challenge and Matthew Donohue consulted with the fourth official before sending him off.

There was still time for North End to create their first opening before the half-time whistle, though, as the game came to life. Dolan's miss-kick put Preston on the break and Pears was forced to make a smart stop to deny Potts.

Eustace reacted at the break and rebalanced his attack with Makhtar Gueye entering the fray alongside Ohashi. Baker was sacrificed with Dolan switching to the left-hand side.

His introduction immediately brought an added thrust to the contest. It gave Ohashi more space to roam into and Rovers looked far more threatening, without making Woodman work particularly hard.

Preston, unsurprisingly, sat deep and soaked up the pressure. They were resolute and organised, restricting Rovers to very little as the game ticked into the final 20 minutes.

The match then sparked into life in stoppage time as Beck was sent off. A free-kick was given and the Liverpool loanee was then judged to have kicked out. Replays showed that, after the event, striker Milutin Osmajic appeared to bite Beck in a tangle.

Preston then had the better of the opportunities. Whiteman's dipping strike was well saved by Pears and then the goalkeeper denied Potts before the full-time whistle.

A point was fairly a fair score on the balance of play. Rovers remain unbeaten but will be disappointed not to have found the net with a man advantage for large periods.