3/1 To Win
Luke Thomas extended his run of impressive form by scoring the winner as Derby County’s Under-23s beat Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 in Premier League 2 Division One.
Darren Wassall’s side had the best of the chances throughout and they were rewarded through Thomas’ precise finish on 56 minutes.
The Under-23s have now beat three of the Premier League’s leading lights, with the three points against Spurs adding to earlier wins against Manchester United and Liverpool.
The Rams were looking to bounce back after a disappointing 4-1 defeat away at Manchester City last Saturday, and Thomas almost gave his side the ideal start inside five minutes.
He was slipped in by Emil Riis Jakobsen as the space opened up inside the penalty area, but Spurs goalkeeper Brandon Austin spread himself well to keep the scores level.
Jakobsen himself had an effort blocked after Austin collided with one of his teammates, before Callum Guy fired a dangerous cross across the face of goal.
Samuel Shashoua went closest for the away side in the first half, playing a deft one-two with Shayon Harrison before bending an effort just wide of the target.
Derby continued to threaten, with an error from Luke Amos allowing Guy a sight of goal before Max Bird found some space, but both efforts ultimately failed to trouble Austin as the sides went into the break level.
Keanan Bennetts was posing a real threat from left-back for Spurs and he fired into the side netting, but then Derby went straight down the other end to take the lead 11 minutes after the break.
Thomas made another driving run and after exchanging passes, he bent his left-footed effort perfectly into the bottom corner, giving Austin no chance.
Spurs struggled to respond as Derby looked to double their lead, putting on pressure with the winger Thomas continuing to torment down the right-hand side.
The highly-rated Marcus Edwards came alive in the last 10 minutes and he came close to finding an equaliser from a free-kick, but Josh Barnes was equal to the effort and the Rams saw out time to secure the victory.
Derby County U23s: Barnes; Stabana, Wassall, Shackell, Lowe; Guy, Hanson (Bateman, 67), Bird; Thomas (Walker, 86), Jakobsen (Vernam, 75), Babos.
Substitutes not used: Ravas, Cover.
Tottenham Hotspur: Austin; Marsh, Maghoma, Tanganga, Bennetts; Skipp (Pritchard, 46), Amos; Harrison, Edwards, Shashoua (Tracey, 63); Loft (Sterling, 71).
Substitutes not used: Whiteman, Roles.
Major Moment…
The Rams were fully deserving of their lead when it came in the 56th minute through Thomas’ fine finish into the bottom corner.
The sight of goal was a result of the winger’s pace and skillful running, as he received the ball, moved it out of his feet and swept his finish into the far corner of Austin’s net.
Who Impressed…
Jamie Hanson stood out as he completed 67 minutes as he continued his recovery from injury, but the night belonged to Thomas.
His goal was typical of his all-round performance as he drove at the Spurs defence time and time again, and the eventual finish was the ideal reward for his vibrant showing.
What’s Next…
Two more huge games at Pride Park await the Rams at the start of November.
Derby begin their Premier League International Cup campaign with the visit of Wolfsburg on the 1st of the month, before Nottingham Forest arrive for the East Midlands derby on Monday 6th November in the Premier League Cup.
