3/1 To Win
Derby County Under-21s came from behind to win 4-3 in a dramatic Premier League Cup tie against Chelsea at the Proctor Cars Stadium on Friday night.
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Jake Buxton’s Under-21s secured their second win in the Premier League Cup, putting them second in Group I, level on points with opponents Chelsea.
Johnson Osong had the Rams in the lead after 16 minutes as the striker was in the right place at the right time to finish from Emmanuel Ilesanmi’s cross.
But a scintillating seven minutes from the visitors looked to have turned the tie on its head.
A neatly worked free-kick routine saw Harvey Vale equalise from the edge of the penalty area in the 26th minute.
Deivid Washington put Chelsea in front four minutes later with when he met right-back Richard Ouse’s early cross with a diving header.
Vale then netted his second of the night after a quick breakaway from the visitors ended with the Blues' captain rifling the ball into the bottom corner.
Vale’s goal appeared to put the match well in Chelsea's grasp with Derby going into half-time 3-1 down.
Changes from Under-21 Lead Coach Buxton at the break saw the Rams come out revived in the second half, though, with Lennon Wheeldon, Jaydan Davidson and Darren Robinson entering the field with great impact.
Davidson narrowed Chelsea’s lead within three minutes of the second period beginning as he was played into a one-on-one with Chelsea goalkeeper Max Merrick. The attacker was calm and composed and lofted the ball over the shot-stopper with ease to score.
Derby went on to equalise just after the hour when goalkeeper Jack Thompson’s long kick up field was met by England Under-19 international striker Wheeldon who ran at Chelsea’s defensive line, held off his marker and made space for a darting shot that nestled into the bottom corner to get the tie back level again.
Welsh youth international Cruz Allen gave Derby the lead when he capitalised on an error from shot-stopper Merrick. His clearance in defence deflected off a team-mate, looped into the air and found Allen in place to aim for an empty net from 25 yards out with 20 minutes left.
Derby came under pressure from Chelsea as they searched for an equaliser, but they held firm. Goalkeeper Thompson got a crucial palm to the ball as it was struck dangerously across the goalline deep into added time ensure a memorable win.
Team News
Derby County Under-21s: Thompson (GK), Perry, Gill, Turley, Rooney (C), K. Robinson, McAndrew (Davidson 46), Hawkins (D Robinson 46), Ilesanmi (Wheeldon 62), Allen (Eames 76), Osong.
Substitute Not Used: Evans (GK).
Post-Match Reaction
After the game Derby County Under-21 Lead Coach Jake Buxton said: “The group showed great togetherness in a brilliant team performance.
“It has been a brilliant week overall. We beat West Brom and Chelsea and drew after 90 minutes against a senior men’s team (Maidenhead).
“The group is growing in belief and in their ability with the ball - but we remind the players every day that hard work, sprinting to make recovery tackles and being hard to beat gives us a great foundation to build on.
"We’ve not quite had that in every game, but the signs of progress are strong.”
