Derby County took maximum points as they flew to an
inspired 4-0 win over Portsmouth in the Sky Bet Championship at Pride Park
Stadium on Friday night.
An early goal from Kane Wilson saw Derby come flying out of the traps and get their reward as he finished off a well-constructed attack in the eighth minute.
Their dominance was compounded with two goals in ten minutes as Eiran Cashin’s header and Ebou Adams’ finish from six yards out gave the Rams a three-goal advantage going into half-time.
The second period saw the Rams get a fourth after Marcus Harness forced a Marlon Pack own goal after the hour mark.
Derby had a bright start as Adams twice found space in the box in the opening exchanges with the Rams pushing forward from the off and showing a threat down both flanks.
Wilson gave Derby the lead in the eighth minute after a neat passage of possession was ramped up by Cashin’s incisive pass to Adams in the midfield which flowed to Jerry Yates and then Nathaniel Mendez-Laing on the left flank, who delivered a dangerous cross that Wilson tucked home at the far post.
The right-back was involved once more in Derby’s attack as Harness drilled a pass down the right wing for Wilson to run on to. He received the ball and aimed a cross to Yates who lurked at the far post. Pack blocked the ball, though, and sent it out for a corner.
The resulting set-piece saw Derby double their lead as Cashin met Ben Osborn’s delivery, headed the ball into the ground and watched it arrow up and into the back of the net.
Portsmouth’s first chance of the contest came in the 28th minute when Colby Bishop won the ball high up the field and saw a dangerous delivery into the box, but Jacob Widell Zetterström collected the ball as it ricocheted around in the box.
The Swedish goalkeeper unleashed the ball and started another dangerous attack that saw Derby take a 3-0 lead on the half hour mark. Adams was the goalscorer as Craig Forsyth delivered a low cross into a chaotic, busy penalty area, where the Gambian international was on his toes to slot home via a deflection.
A deep cross from Josh Murphy caused Zetterström his first real concern of the half, as the ball swerved towards goal and forced the shot-stopper to make a diving save.
Yates and Adams both had bites of the cherry to further cement the Rams’ advantage in the 42nd minute. The striker was played into space on the left by Cashin and hit a low strike through the legs of a Pompey defender but was denied by goalkeeper Nicholas Schmid who parried into the path of Adams. The midfielder couldn’t find the right connection with the follow-up and struck wide of the mark.
The second half began with Derby looking to continue where they left off as Forsyth delivered an early ball into the box that looked to threaten but was well dealt with by Schmid.
Paul Warne made the Rams’ first substitution as Cashin was replaced by Nat Phillips in the 59th minute with the goalscorer leaving the field through injury.
Derby had their fourth in the 65th minute, as Wilson played Harness down the wing and the attacker beat his man on the right and swung a low cross towards goal that was steered in by Portsmouth’s Pack.
Following the goal both Harness and Mendez-Laing departed the field with Callum Elder and Kayden Jackson entering the field to freshen the pack.
The substitutes had an immediate impact as Elder charged towards goal and squared the ball to Jackson who fired just over the bar.
Derby made further changes in the 76th minute as they looked to cement their dominance, with Adams and Yates being replaced by Liam Thompson and James Collins.
Again, the changes nearly had the fifth goal as Thompson immediately played a high ball towards the back post that Collins met with a diving header, but he couldn’t hit the target.
Kenzo Goudmijn was nearly the creator making two chances in quick succession in the 79th minute. He nutmegged and dribbled past his opposite number and delivered two crosses into the box that just required a finishing touch.
Curtis Nelson came close when Osborn sent a tidy cross into the box after a free kick. The towering centre-back met the ball well but Schmid got behind it to collect.
Collins and Jackson’s tenacious pressing nearly earned Derby a goal in the 87th minute as a pass backwards went awry and clipped Jackson’s heel and went through the legs of goalkeeper Schmid, but the Pompey shot-stopper rushed back to scoop the rolling ball away from the net before it could cross the goal-line.
Derby County: Zetterström (GK), Wilson, Nelson, Cashin (Phillips 59), Forsyth, Osborn, Goudmijn, Adams (Thompson 76), Harness (Jackson 66), Mendez-Laing (C) (Elder 66), Yates (Collins 76).
Unused Substitutes: Vickers (GK), Barkhuizen, Blackett-Taylor, Brown.
Portsmouth: Schmid (GK), Ogilvie, Pack (C), Potts (Kamara 64), Bishop (Sørensen 78), McIntyre, Dozzell, Murphy (Lane 72), Devlin (Swanson 46), Ritchie (Saydee 46), Lang.
Unused Substitutes: Archer (GK), Towler, Poole, Moxon.
Referee: Oliver Langford
Assistant Referees: Mark Stevens, Alex James
Fourth Official: Dean Whitestone
26,980 (1,708 Away Supporters)
The Rams will be back in action on Friday 20th December for their Sky Bet Championship clash with Luton Town at Kenilworth Road (8pm kick-off).
