3/1 To Win
Derby County Under-23s fell to a 4-0 defeat against Manchester City as they returned to Premier League 2 Division 1 action following the festive break.
Former Rams Academy player Liam Delap earned a hat-trick at Loughborough University Stadium before being shown a straight red card with ten minutes left to play. The other goal came from Taylor Harwood-Bellis.
The ball resided in City’s half for the majority of the opening five minutes of the game but the Rams were unable to create an early opening.
Nine minutes in, it was their opposition that took the lead. Doyle sent in a corner from the right and Delap got a free header and nestled it in to the near corner. Derby showed an immediate reaction and good work from Ozasee Aghatise gave the hosts a free-kick midway in City’s half.
Liam Thompson swung the effort towards the back post, but Archie Brown’s header was deflected out for a corner.
City were proving to be a difficult test and didn’t allow the Rams much time on the ball and Delap and Felix Nmecha, in particular, were attacking threats. Just two minutes after his opening goal, Delap then saw a shot from a tight angle saved at the near post by George Sykes-Kenworthy.
On the 20 minute-mark, it was then Nmecha who was brought down in the area by Max Bardell and the referee blew for a penalty. Doyle stepped up to the spot and drilled his effort off the post and it was well cleared by Derby for a big let off.
The Rams found their feet a bit more in the closing stages of the half, and a nice move saw Brown receive the ball down the left and do well to stay on his feet after an attempted challenge. He fed the ball forward to Dylan Williams who cut inside and saw his cross deflected out.
Soon after, Brown sent a long throw towards Bobby Duncan in the middle of the area, but he went to the ground as he looked to turn but the referee said no penalty.
Just ahead of the hour-mark, City doubled their lead through another set piece. Brown brought down Sam Edozie to the right of the area and the visitors were awarded a free-kick from a dangerous spot.
Doyle sent in the free-kick towards Harwood-Bellis at the back post who headed in.
That lead was extended with just more that 15 minutes left to play when Delap burst into the left side of the box and applied a good finish across goal for his second of the night.
His third came just minutes later when an initial effort was saved and palmed into the path of the striker who struck the back of the net. Delap then saw straight red in the final ten minutes for a dangerous challenge.
Derby were unable to find a way back into the game and will look to bounce back on Saturday when they visit Liverpool.
Derby County: Sykes-Kenworthy, Bardell, Brown, Jinkinson (Wilson, 83), Solomon, Bateman, Williams, Thompson, Duncan, Aghatise (Ibrahim, 69), Cresswell (Cybulski, 85)
Unused Subs: Halwax, Grewal-Pollard
Manchester City: Trafford, Egan-Riley, Burns (Dionkou, 78), Harwood-Bellis, Doyle, Lavia (Hodge, 87), Edozie, Delap, Nmecha, McAtee (Knight, 85)
Unused Subs: Slicker, Robertson
