3/1 To Win
Derby County’s Under-21s started their 2022/23 Premier League Cup campaign with a late 2-1 reverse at AFC Bournemouth on Friday night.
The Group B clash was played at the Premier League outfit’s Vitality Stadium and Pat Lyons’ side conceded two goals in the last 15 minutes to see a first-half lead slip through their fingers.
Derby took the lead after only six minutes on the South Coast as a deep free-kick to the far post by on-loan Chelesea midfielder Joe Haigh was guided home on the volley by centre-back Harrison Solomon for his first goal of the campaign. The finish was a composed one by the former Under-18s defender as he tracked the flight of the ball perfectly and drove the ball into the net with a first-time finish.
Solomon’s strike proved to be the main moment of action in the opening 45 minutes. The hosts did ask questions of Derby but, other than a couple of goalmouth scrambles, the Rams stood firm and kept the Cherries at arms-length for long spells.
Derby had chances in the second half with Haigh curling a free kick wide from the edge of the box while midfielder Harry Hawkins had a diving header saved from around 12 yards out, while the Rams were called into action to deal with several set-play deliveries.
Bournemouth eventually levelled with 76 minutes played, when it looked as if Derby had ridden the storm. Jack Stephens won the ball on the halfway line and drove forward and, with the space opening in front of him, he advanced into the penalty area and drove a low effort past Harry Evans and into the bottom corner.
The home side, with around 2,000 fans cheering them on, pushed on in search of a winner - and they claimed it with three minutes of normal time remaining. The Cherries worked the ball out wide to Ben Greenwood and from 20 yards out he drove a low effort into the far corner which Evans was unable to keep out despite getting a hand to the strike.
Winger Sonny Blu Lo-Everton had the ball in the net for Derby in added time but his looping effort from a ball into the Bournemouth box was ruled out for offside.
Derby’s Under-21s are back in Premier League Cup action next Monday (26th September) when they host Queens Park Rangers at Loughborough University Stadium (7pm kick-off).
Derby County Under-21s: Evans (GK), Brailsford, Kelly-Caprani, Hawkins, Clarke (Grewal-Pollard 68), Solomon, Lo-Everton, Haigh, Cybulski (C), Nunn, Ibrahim.
Substitutes Not Used: Burton, Roberts (GK), Fapetu, Wheeldon.
