Lee Hughes took his goal tally to four in three games as West Brom secured a controversial success over ten-man Preston at The Hawthorns.
Hughes won and converted the decisive 40th minute penalty that earned Albion their third straight league win and sent Preston crashing to their third defeat in four games.
But Preston were left seething at the award of the spot-kick and the dismissal of goalkeeper Jonathan Gould who was sent-off by referee Alan Kaye for pulling down Hughes.
Preston boss Craig Brown, who has now seen his side lose three of their four games this season, said: "My goalkeeper has told me there was no contact made and he is an honest guy.
"It is yet another controversial decision that has gone against us this season.
"The referee told he made an honest decision. But I don't think that Hughes had a goalscoring chance as he had a lot of work to do.
"We will appeal against the red card and hope it will be rescinded." Albion manager Gary Megson admitted his side had not played well but he was delighted with a six-point haul over the Bank Holiday.
He said: "We did not play well against Preston or in the previous game against Watford.
"But we have taken six points are second in the league and I know we can still do better." As for the controversial penalty, Megson added: "If the referee thought it was a penalty that is the way it goes." Albion were fortunate to still be on level terms before Hughes struck as Eddie Lewis had consistently tormented their defence.
He had a first minute shot saved by Russell Hoult and then set-up Paul McKenna whose 29th minute drive was beaten away by the Albion defence for a corner.
The game then dramatically exploded into life five minutes before half-time when Gould was somewhat harshly adjudged to be sent-off.
Hughes was chasing a back pass from Graham Alexander and looked to be heading away from goal at the time he was sent tumbling by Gould.
But Kaye ruled that Hughes had been denied a goalscoring opportunity and had no hesitation in sending-off Gould.
In a reshuffle, Brown took off Alexander and sent on substitute goalkeeper David Lucas whose first task was to pick the ball out of the back of the net after Hughes sent him the wrong way from the spot.
Lucas then kept Preston in contention when he did well to spectacularly palm the ball over the bar following a close range drive from Bernt Haas.
The margin of Albion's success would have been all the greater, but for the second-half heroics of Lucas.
He pulled off stunning saves to deny Rob Hulse and Scott Dobie while Hughes came close to adding to his tally only for Marlon Broomes to head his 65th minute drive off the line.