Derby County claimed a point in a 2-2 draw after a
hair-raising Sky Bet Championship contest at Portsmouth on Saturday
afternoon.
Early drama saw a penalty for the hosts denied by a huge Jacob Widell Zetterström save in the sixth minute from Colby Bishop. Derby came near multiple times as Craig Forsyth struck just over the frame of the goal, and Marcus Harness’ audacious curling effort hit the underside of the crossbar in a frantic first half.
The back-and-forth nature of the game continued into the second period, and Jerry Yates was the man to open the scoring from close range in the 70th minute. The lead didn’t last more than a minute, though, with defender Rob Atkinson heading from close range.
But again, the game took another turn as Pompey’s goalscorer netted an own goal to give Derby a 2-1 lead, but the final twist came in added time with Atkinson redeeming his error and getting a levelling goal in stoppage time.
Key Moments
The game sprang into action early as Nathaniel Mendez-Laing looked to create from the front. The Guatemalan international linked up with Yates and Harrison Armstrong to fashion a chance, but a well-worked move couldn’t result in a chance on goal.
Matt Richie won a penalty for the hosts in the sixth minute after Rams goalkeeper Zetterström impeded the Pompey captain in the box as he went clear on goal.The goalkeeper received a yellow card for his troubles but made a huge save by denying striker Colby Bishop from the spot.
Two chances in quick succession saw Derby fire close. Mendez-Laing lifted a tidy cross to the far post for Yates, who looked to square the ball back into a dangerous area in the box, but it was cleared by some last-ditch defending.
Moments later, the ball was sent back into the area to Matt Clarke, who was in space and teed up Forsyth to shoot, but the defender’s effort went over the bar.
Harness almost netted a spectacular effort from the left flank in the 18th minute against his old club. He whipped a ball towards the far corner of the goal from the left and beat Portsmouth goaltender Nicolas Schmid, but the ball hit the underside of the crossbar and went away from danger.
Richie’s free kick effort from 20 yards out just evaded the crossbar in the 21st minute. Some excellent footwork and fortune for Portsmouth attacker Christian Saydee saw him dribble into another one-on-one with Zetterström, who was again crucial and made the save with his feet to thwart the tight-angled low shot on the half-hour mark.
A free kick from deep by the Swedish shot-stopper resulted in another chance as Harness got a glancing head to the ball, but goalkeeper Schmid got behind the effort to scoop up the ball.
A similar situation occurred at the other end of the pitch two minutes later when Richie delivered a curled ball into the box, but Bishop couldn’t get a touch before Zetterström claimed the ball to quell the danger.
A run in behind from Harness in the 37th minute saw him blaze the ball beyond the frame of the goal as the end-to-end nature of the game continued somehow without either team managing to score.
Another well-crafted attack saw Kane Wilson and Mendez-Laing combine down the right, with the winger sending in a cross that was steered towards the path of an onrushing Ebou Adams on the edge of the box, but the Rams’ captain was denied by the head of defender Freddie Potts who blocked the final chance of the first period.
The second period began with the game looking to continue where it left off before the whistle. Mendez-Laing nudged the ball down the wing for Wilson to cross into the far post, where Forsyth headed goalwards and forced Schmid to tip the ball over the bar.
Derby’s veteran defender then latched onto the resulting corner, but again, Schmid was in the way, and he was able to keep the ball in his grasp.
After a spell of Portsmouth pressure was weathered by the Rams, a long throw from Forsyth yielded another Derby chance with Nat Phillips unable to rise high enough to direct his header at the back post on target in the 63rd minute.
John Eustace’s first change of the afternoon came in the 66th minute as Kayden Jackson entered the field to replace Mendez-Laing, with both sides still searching for the opening goal.
Yates was the man to finally open the scoring as he found space and powered a header past the goalkeeper from close range following a fine Forsyth cross.
The lead didn’t last long, however, as Atkinson rose highest from a corner to make it 1-1 with a header into the far corner.
Wilson’s whipped cross met the head of Yates moments later and looked certain to restore Derby's lead, but he could only watch the ball edge inches wide of the post.
The goal to put the Rams back in front did come soon after, as goalscorer Atkinson directed a fizzed cross from Jackson into the net for an own goal.
The Rams were forced to weather a storm in the closing stages and the pressure told as Portsmouth equalised again through Atkinson from a set-play in the 91st minute with a glancing header.
Despite being disappointed not to claim all three points, Eustace's side showed plenty of fighting spirit and resilience to pick up a point on their travels against a strong opponent on home turf.
The Teams
Portsmouth: Schmid (GK), Ogilvie, Poole, Potts (Pack 86), Bishop, Saydee (Yengi 79), Swanson (Devlin 79), Murphy, Richie (C) (Blair 86), Atkinson, Hayden (Dozzell 79).
Substitutes Not Used: Archer (GK), Williams, Aouchiche, Bramall.
Derby County: Zetterström (GK), Wilson, Forsyth, Langås, Yates, Mendez-Laing (Jackson 66), Phillips, Harness (Goudmijn 83), Clarke, Armstrong, Adams (C).
Substitutes Not Used: Vickers (GK), Barkhuizen, Thompson, Rooney, Hendrick, Pieters, Wheeldon.
Referee: Ruebyn Ricardo
Assistant Referees: Sam Lewis, Richard Woodward
Fourth Official: Dean Whitestone
Attendance
20,412 (2,155 Derby County supporters)
What’s Next?
The Rams will return to Pride Park Stadium for Easter Sky Bet Championship action on Friday 18th April against Luton Town (12:30pm kick-off).