Leeds United 2 Preston North End 1: Healy strikes again to give Leeds chance of survival

Leeds gave themselves a Championship lifeline with a David Healy goal in injury time last night which left the crowd chanting his name and completed a dream week for the player. Leeds moved off the bottom of the table as Preston suffered a setback in their attempt to win an automatic promotion place.

This was the best Leeds display in weeks and the victory was richly deserved after a nightmare start when Brett Ormerod ghosted through on Leeds' left side to take advantage of a neat cross-field pass from Callum Davidson followed by an incisive switch of play from ex-United man Danny Pugh. Ormerod's immaculate finish gave Preston the lead after five minutes.

To give Leeds their due, they came back at North End with energy and verve. Radostin Kishishev and Richard Cresswell were to the fore as they laid siege to Andy Lonergan's goal. It took the 51st minute for Leeds to equalise when a rare Liam Chilvers error let in Cresswell, whose selfless, raking cross found Robbie Blake, enabling him to slide the ball home.

Back came Preston. The men from Lancashire tried to play a cultured game, but Leeds application and frenetic style together with the emergence of Cresswell as the game's most intelligent forward, kept them out of the comfort zone.

David Nugent put over a superb 78th-minute cross that found Michael Ricketts, but the substitute lost control in front of goal.

Both teams went for the kill, and it was, inevitably, man of the week Healy who won it for Leeds when he outwitted Pavel Pergl to convert Eddie Lewis's cross in the final moments.

Leeds United (4-4-2): Ankergren; Richardson, Michalik, Heath, Gray; Blake (Rui Marques, 90), Douglas, Kishishev Lewis; Healy (Robbie Elliott, 90), Cresswell. Substitutes not used: Stack (gk), Johnson, Moore.

Preston North End: (4-4-2) Lonergan; Wilson, St Ledger, Chilvers, Pergl; Songo'o (Ricketts, 60), Davidson (Agyemang, 46), Sedgwick, Pugh; Nugent, Ormerod. Substitutes not used: Henderson (gk), Nowland, Soley.

Referee: A Marriner (W Midlands).

* The Football League play-off finals return to Wembley at the end of the season. The announcement follows Brent Council granting a safety certificate on Tuesday after two warm-up events at the £798m stadium.