Preston North End defender Bambo Diaby enjoyed one of his best displays for the club as he kept Viktor Gyokeres quiet on Tuesday night.
PNE hosted Coventry City in the Championship on Tuesday night and were seeking a second straight win.
Mark Robins’ side were in good form heading into the game and one player stood out from the crowd in the Coventry side.
Striker Viktor Gyokeres is one of the Championship’s top strikers having racked up 15 goals so far this season.
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Reports suggest that Leeds United are already preparing to make a move to sign Gyokeres this summer.
Keeping Gyokeres quiet was going to be paramount to PNE’s chances of a result – and Bambo Diaby really stepped up.
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Diaby had a strong second half against Wigan Athletic on Saturday afternoon, playing on the right of Ryan Lowe’s back three.
Diaby moved into the centre of defence against Coventry and was brilliant all night long.
The 25-year-old absolutely shackled Gyokeres and limited him to just two shots, neither of which were on target.
WhoScored rated Gyokeres’ display at 5.95 out of 10, the second-lowest of any Coventry player and lower than any PNE player.
Gyokeres had scored three goals in three games before coming up against Diaby, who was able to overpower the Swede on a number of occasions.
Diaby’s pace at the back is also welcome, providing a very useful ability when PNE are regrouping at the back.
Diaby has had his doubters at PNE and for some, his nightmare away at Blackpool in October will live long in the memory.
The former Barnsley man has turned in a couple of strong displays now and the hope is that he can really kick on and enjoy a superb end to the season.
Keeping Gyokeres quiet is not something to sniff at and Diaby deserves the praise coming his way right now; let’s hope he can find real consistency in the coming weeks.