Stoke City picked up their first Championship win of the season with a goal from Lee Gregory settling matters at Preston North End.
Preston might have edged the opening stages but the game swung on a red card for Tom Barkhuizen, who was dismissed for a lunge at Morgan Fox.
Gregory snatched what turned out to be the winner before the break and his side might have had a glut more in the second half, with Sam Clucas and Josh Tymon getting good chances and Steven Fletcher hitting the bar when he should have scored too.
O'Neill had handed first starts to Fletcher and Harry Souttar among five changes to his league starting XI.
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Preston will appeal against red card
“Yes, definitely,” said Neil.
“I know the referee doesn’t look again at the incident but it would be interesting for him to look at him back and get his opinion.
“I think this where people have been involved in football and ex-players like myself, you look at that and you can quickly establish if someone has gone in with intent or gone over the ball and been naughty.
“I think you can quickly establish when someone has lost their footing and been unfortunate.
“When it comes down to it, if there any sort of football people involved I am quite confident that will be overturned.”
Preston boss's verdict on red card
Alex Neil: “To be honest at the time I wasn’t sure. Tom was running away from me and it was right next to their dug out.
“It was basically a perfect storm in terms of him getting sent off because since I’ve watched it back, he was running at full speed, he starts to fall down, loses his footing, slides into the lad and it’s a soft slide tackle kind of thing.
“It’s certainly not meant. It was right next to their dug out so they all start appealing, their man lets out a scream and starts falling about and their players start running over.
“We’ve been in that situation a few times ourselves. You know that the ref is going to end up producing a red with that controversy around the tackle.
“Having watched it back I’m not sure what Tom has meant to do. Does he mean to go and slide tackle the player? Definitely not.
“He tries to slow down, loses his grip on his left foot and goes to ground.
“It changed the course of the game because at that point I thought we were excellent and going to go on and win the game.”
Pleased to get the season underway with a win?
MON: Yes, it was important for us to try to win the game today on the back of last week’s result. It gives us four points from three games and we have a home game next week.
If we can take three points next week it’ll be a good start to the season for us but we’ve got Aston VIlla in the cup on Thursday night as well.
There are a lot of aspects of our play which need to be better. I still think we need to be more clinical in the final third. We need to take care of the ball better.
But it’s still early in the season and today I’m pleased with the three points.
A fifth clean sheet in six for Adam Davies?
MON: He’s playing very well, Adam. He made a good save when we needed him but we shouldn’t have been in that position to be honest. The goalkeeper had to make those saves and he made them.
It’s another clean sheet. If you look at his performance from coming into the team last season, he’s got a very high number of clean sheets and I thought he dealt with everything well today.
All that builds his confidence and he’s playing extremely well.
First start for Steven Fletcher?
MON: Steven is still getting up to speed. Certainly that chance in the second half he’ll be disappointed he didn’t take which would have made the game easier for us.
I think in this type of game if you get the second goal you’ll maybe go on and score more and win comfortably. When it’s 1-0 then opposition always have hope.
Obviously we had to go right to the end to secure the 1-0 victory.
We brought Steven to the club because we know he’s a quality player and over the season I know we’ll see that. We saw glimpses of that, with him and Lee together.
It’s more minutes under the belt for him and John Obi MIkel, players who need minutes.
A surprise to pick Gregory - but he came good?
MON: We have a number of strikers at the club and they all want to play and all probably feel they deserve to play.
But I thought Lee is sometimes better away from home and he played well in the game against Gillingham on Wednesday so he deserved the chance to start today.
I’m pleased for him to get the goal.
He works ever so hard for the team and along with Harry Souttar, I thought he was our best player.
What did you make of the red card?
MON: It was a poor challenge to be honest. I think it’s a challenge he doesn’t really need to make in that area of the pitch.
I haven’t seen it back but you can’t tackle like that now, that’s the rules. You can’t fly into tackles. It’s hard to say you’re in control.
For me, I thought it was a red card.
Michael O'Neill post-match interview
MON: We’re obviously pleased with the three points. There are certainly aspects of our performance that we need to improve on. We were wasteful, particularly at times in the second half.
It’s always difficult when you play against 10 men because towards the end of the game, the opposition commit a lot of bodies forward and you have to deal with long balls into the box at times.
I just felt we could have had more control at times but it’s early in the season and it’s a difficult place to come so we’ll take the three points.
Preston 0 Stoke 1
A couple of Preston corners - but it’s Stoke who almost score. Josh Tymon darts the length of the pitch but skies it when he closes in on Rudd.
Preston 0 Stoke 1
A decent chance for Jacob Brown as Josh Tymon is smart and plays a pass into his feet in the six yard box. Easily saved by Rudd.
Preston 0 Stoke 1
Davies has to be alert again to pluck a header out of the top corner after Clucas conceded a free-kick on the Preston left.
Substitution
Oakley-Boothe, who has been excellent since mid-way through the first-half, hobbles off to be replaced by Jordan Thompson.
Preston 0 Stoke 1
Stoke have done everything right so far this half bar score but they are almost caught out on the break by Preston as Brad Potts breaks the offside trap.
It takes a fantastic, brave one-on-one save from Adam Davies to keep it at 1-0.
Crossbar!
Fletcher!
He tries to chip the keeper rather than go around him as Stoke power forward with great play from Gregory and Smith blocked an attempted clearance.
It was an audacious Rabona. Why didn’t he go around Rudd?
Preston 0 Stoke 1
Excellent play from Stoke. Fletcher does well to play it wide to Smith and it’s a fine cross to the front post... but Gregory can’t dink it home.
Preston 0 Stoke 1
John Obi Mikel has been key for Stoke so far this half, just showing composure as Preston try to drag them into a dog fight.
Stoke should have had a second by now - will they rue that?
Preston 0 Stoke 1
Josh Tymon has a chance to really open up his legs against Alan Browne filling in at right-back for Preston.
On the other side, Oakley-Boothe is tugged just before he runs into the box. Play on but he wastes the chance with a poor pull back.
Yellow card
Tommy Smith in the book for a foul. Dangerous free-kick for Preston wide left, level with the edge of the area.
Substitution
James McClean is replaced by Josh Tymon.
McClean has done ok. He offers Stoke so much more at wing-back. He has a quick chat with O’Neill before making his way for high-fives from teammates in the stands.
