Ryan Lowe feels his side should have left Elland Road with a point and was left frustrated by the nature of Leeds United’s late winner.
It looked as though Preston North End had done enough to earn a draw against the side sat fourth in the Championship, but stoppage-time drama saw the hosts come out on top.
Early goals from Will Keane and Dan James were followed by a good battle in Yorkshire, which saw PNE deal with everything thrown at them, until Ryan Ledson was penalised for a handball in the fourth additional minute and Joel Piroe scored from the spot.
Ryan said: “I’m disappointed. I’m proud of the boys for the performance they’ve given. For coming to Elland Road and pitting our wits against a top team who will get promoted.
“I’m gutted for the players and the fans because we’ve come here, they’ve sang their hearts out, and the players have ran around and worked their socks off.
“Then a moment [costs us]. It rolls up his [Ledson’s] body and hits his arm. I don’t know what he’s meant to do.
“The wind’s blowing everywhere. It potentially could have been a foul beforehand. It hits Ryan’s thigh and then his arm. Ryan’s convinced it’s hit his thigh and then hits his arm. I’m not saying it didn’t hit his arm, but that’s a tough penalty to give.
“For 94 minutes we were fantastic. We had to unsettle them, we had some good xGs against them apart from their penalty. Possession, yeah they did have large parts. Of course they’re going to at home, but we withstood most of that.
“I thought we were excellent in some patterns of play and what we worked on. Pleased with how we got out and how we opened through them a little bit and created some opportunities. I can’t ask for any more.
“What I can ask for is a little bit of consistency along the way because the number of decisions that have gone against us in the past seven months is unbelievable.”
It was a lightning-fast start from North End which saw them take the lead and silence the Elland Road crowd, as Keane scored within 65 seconds – tapping home Millar’s drilled cross.
The hosts were level in the sixth minute, though, as Dan James headed beyond Dai Cornell – in for the ill Freddie Woodman – and Piroe’s late penalty then won the game.
On the early goal, Ryan said: “I’d love fast starts like that every week. We’ve had that and we’ve had indifferent starts.
“To go a goal ahead at that time was pleasing; I’m disappointed with their goal. I’ll have to have a look at it because we should stop the cross and it’s a free header round the back, but we’ll have a look at that.
“We were patient in our build-up play, and we had some good moments. Obviously the lads at the top tired a little bit and we had to make some changes.
“But, listen, I’m pleased with every aspect of the game with what the lads have done. It was a great encounter, and we should have been walking away from here with a point definitely.”