3/1 To Win
Martyn Waghorn and Florian Jozefzoon grabbed their first goals for Derby County to see the Rams comfortably through to the Carabao Cup Third Round.
Mason Mount added the finishing touches on the 4-0 victory over Hull City at KCOM Stadium in the final minute of the game as he danced around the Tigers’ keeper.
Waghorn opened the scoring for the Rams in the first half with a beautiful finish that arched over George Long. Jozefzoon fired past the keeper to double the lead before tapping in a cross from Duane Holmes in the second half, although the final touch was credited to Hull defender Brandon Fleming, to pull further away before Mount rounded off the scoring.
Both sides saw a big shuffle in their teams for the cup fixture and eased into the game. The Rams, with seven changes to the team since the last outing, looked calm and controlled in the opening minutes against their league rivals.
Jack Marriott got the first shot off for Derby after ten minutes and it was his first chance of many when he shot from just inside the area but George Long safely made to catch.
Waghorn claimed his first Rams goal in fine fashion with a superb finish that arched over Long. Bradley Johnson chipped the ball over to the summer signing who then lifted it well-clear of the Tigers ‘keeper and it curved down perfectly into the back of the net.
Keogh was at hand to deny Nouha Dicko from a clear look at the goal as the Rams’ centre-back got in front of a Hull cross and guided it safely to Roos with his head.
Marriott almost doubled ten minutes before the break after Malone directed a low cross just in front of the goal. The forward managed to get his toes on the ball but sent it just wide.
Minutes later, however, it was Jozefzoon to get his first Derby goal and like Waghorn, he did it in style. The wideman has put his speed on show already this term and he did so again as he turned his man inside out before firing a pin-point effort from the left of the area past Long.
Keogh looked to get his second goal in as many games a minute before half-time but Long managed to get his fingers on the defender’s low effort to send it wide.
Kelle Roos, making his first appearance for the Rams since February 2015, had had a quiet night thanks to a solid Rams backline, up until the final minute of the half. He was forced to make back-to-back saves to keep Derby’s comfortable lead.
A powerful strike from Dicko forced the Rams ‘keeper to dive right to palm the effort away before an instinctive save from close-range denied Todd Kane.
Dicko was the main threat for Derby again throughout the second-half, with a shot blocked inside a busy area, a shot being sent wide and again he battled with Keogh as he made a run towards Roos. The experienced Ram managed to hold him at bay and send the ball out.
Dicko’s chances were traded with opportunities down the other end, mainly from Marriott who relentlessly looked for his first Rams goal. His best chance came just after an hour but his strong effort from just inside the box went over.
Duane Holmes made his Derby debut, replacing Marriott with just less than 20 minutes to go and made an immediate impact. His cross from the left found Jozefzoon at the far post to find the net off of Hull defender Fleming from close range.
Mount sealed the win a minute before the break with his forth goal of the season after dancing around Long and tapped into the open goal to seal Derby’s comfortable 4-0 victory.
WHO IMPRESSED?
It was a great night for Derby County's summer arrivals with all four goals coming from new signings.
Jozefzoon showed his speed and skill to get off the mark for the Rams in the cup clash. His first goal he raced down the right of the box and left his defender spinning as he went on to fire a pin-perfect effort.
His second came, although it will officially go down as an own goal, courtesy of Holmes' cross, who made a great first impression to Rams fans watching him make his debut.
Despite not scoring, Marriott put in a solid shift for Derby, not afraid to take chance after chance and throwing himself into the mix. He was unlucky that his efforts were not rewarded with a goal.
NEXT UP…
The Rams will look to make it three Sky Bet Championship wins in a row when they return to KCOM Stadium to face Hull for a league clash on Saturday. It will be the last fixture before the international break.
Hull City: Long; Curry, MacDonald, McKenzie; Fleming, Stewart, Batty (Sheaf, 69), Kane (Milinkovic, 58); Dicko, Toral, Keane
Unused Substitutes: Marshall, de Wijs, Burke, Bowen, Kingsley,
Derby County: Roos; Malone (Lowe, 71), Tomori, Keogh, Wisdom; Mount, Huddlestone, Johnson (Bird, 80); Jozefzoon, Marriott (Holmes, 71), Waghorn
Unused Substitutes: Carson, Forsyth, Bennett, Nugent,
