3/1 To Win
Derby County’s Under-23s qualified for the knock-out stage of the Premier League Cup with a 2-1 win against Nottingham Forest, with the superb Alex Babos grabbing both goals.
His first was a towering header after a delightful cross from Sven Karic, whilst his second came after a decisive run and pass from Luke Thomas.
The hosts got a goal back through Lewis Walters late on, and he should have equalised with a free header at the back post as the clock ticked down.
Derby pressed high right from the off and they forced Elvis Otim into an error inside his own half after just five minutes, and the midfielder’s only option was to bring down Cameron Cresswell just outside the area.
From the free-kick, Jamie Hanson was inches from giving his side the lead when he smacked the post, before Lewis Walker had a heavily deflected effort tipped over.
From a Forest perspective, the only flashpoints of the first-half came in the form of two yellow cards for Jake Taylor and Otim, both for fouls on Joe Bateman.
Midway through the half, Derby made their dominance count on the scoreboard.
Karic was allowed space down the left-hand side and he floated a perfect cross onto the head of Babos, who leapt like an old-fashioned target man to give the Rams the lead.
The Rams sat a little deeper after the break as they looked to preserve the lead, but Forest still struggled to break them down, with Jayden Bogle producing some good defensive work to thwart a rare break with nearly an hour gone.
Virgil Gomis had one of the home side’s clearer opportunities but he couldn’t find the target from a low cross, and less than a minute later, Derby’s lead was doubled.
Luke Thomas showed flashes of his vibrant best all night and Forest had no answer when he drove forward towards the box, before he played in Babos who fired high into the roof of the net to secure his brace.
Derby continued to look solid as Forest pressed for a route back into the game, with Bateman and Ethan Wassall standing firm.
Substitute Morgan Whittaker should have made it three as the clock ran down when he went clean through, and the home side ensured a nervy finish when Walters converted from close range to half the deficit.
Walters had a golden opportunity to equalise moments later, but his towering header flew inches wide of the target and the Rams held on to secure the derby bragging rights.
Nottingham Forest: Evtimov; Lawrence-Gabriel, Iacovitti, Coveney, Preston; Taylor, Otim; Walters, Edser, Johnson (Smith, HT); Gomis.
Substitutes not used: Bossin, McCormick, Stewart, En-Neyah.
Derby County: Barnes; Bogle, Wassall, Cover, Karic; Hanson (Bird, HT), Bateman; Thomas, Babos, Cresswell (Whittaker, 79’); Walker.
Substitutes not used: Ravas, Taylor, Hunt.
Major Moment…
Derby were well on top in the first-half and they should have been in front as early as the fifth minute, but when the goal did come, it was a thing of beauty.
Karic’s swinging cross was inch-perfect for Babos, who rose highest in the box to power his head past the helpless Dimitar Evtimov.
Who Impressed…
There were several impressive performances on the night, with Bateman and Karic catching the eye, but Babos stood out with a magnificent brace.
If it was surprising to see the No.10 score a thumping header from inside the penalty area, his second was something that we’ve come to expect, as he worked an opening before finishing clinically.
What’s Next…
The Rams face two more away games to close out February, with the first coming at Goodison Park against Everton in Premier League 2 – Division One next Monday (19th February), before a trip to Middlesbrough for the final Group A fixture in the Premier League Cup on Friday 23rd February.
