Derby County’s Under 23s were defeated 4-2 by Tottenham Hotspur, with five goals coming inside a frantic first-half at Hotspur Way.
Cameron Cresswell netted both for Derby, whilst Tottenham’s goals came via an own goal by Josh Barnes, Joe Pritchard, Anthony Georgiou and Kazaiah Sterling’s penalty.
Hosts Spurs came close to taking the lead after just five minutes, when Pritchard’s strike was deflected on to the post by Derby winger Aaron Eyoma.
Tottenham then took the lead soon after; Rams ‘keeper Barnes struggled to control a back pass and his attempted clearance found his own net.
Spurs then doubled their lead three minutes later when Pritchard’s low, curling effort cushioned off the inside of the post and in.
Derby were quick to respond and within six minutes of going two goals down, they found themselves level.
The first came after Max Bird’s well-worked corner was eventually smashed in by Cresswell from close range.
Cresswell got his second in as many minutes after being played in on goal by Eyoma and he cooly placed his shot past home goalkeeper Alfie Whiteman.
Teenage forward Cresswell almost secured his hat-trick midway through the first half, but he was unable to get on the end of Louie Sibley’s cross.
The hosts regained their lead shortly after the half-hour mark; Georgiou’s driven effort rifled into the bottom corner of the net from 25 yards out.
Visitors Derby came close to levelling on the stroke of half with Jason Knight going close. His effort with the outside of his foot forced a good diving stop from Whiteman.
After the restart, Derby continued to search for a third. Cresswell and Babos both came close from crosses by Eyoma, whilst midfielder Knight also had an effort from outside of the penalty area that forced a strong save out of Whiteman.
With 15 minutes remaining, Spurs almost doubled their lead, but they did seal the points in added time through Sterling’s penalty.
Tottenham Hotspur: Whiteman; Eyoma, Tanganga, Maghoma, Georgiou (Brown, 63’); Marsh, Oakley-Boothe; Tracey, Pritchard (Duncan, 84’), Bennetts, Sterling
Substitutes not used: Roles, Austin, Griffiths
Derby County: Barnes; Bateman, Wassall, Buchanan; Knight, Bird, Babos; Eyoma (Mitchell-Lawson, 85’), Wilson (Walker, 72’), Sibley; Cresswell
Substitutes not used: Yates, Karic, Taylor
Major Moment…
After levelling the game from being two goals behind inside the opening 20 minutes, Derby showed that they were more than capable of leaving North London with a positive result.
However, Georgiou’s strike from distance, which regained Tottenham’s lead proved to be the killer blow for the Rams.
Sterling secured the victory and three points for Spurs, after converting from the penalty spot deep into stoppage time.
Who Impressed…
Striker Cresswell put in a fantastic performance against Tottenham. The young striker showed a lot of maturity, was very physical and provided a lot of energy throughout the duration of his performance.
Despite only being 18-years-old, Cresswell showed that he is more than capable of playing at this level, and his efforts were rewarded by a first half brace.
What’s Next…
The Rams are next in league action on Monday 16th April, when they will host West Ham United at the Training Centre in partnership with the University of Derby.
Wassall’s side will then face current league leaders Leicester City at the King Power Stadium in their final game of the season on Monday 23rd April.
Words: Jonty Colman