3/1 To Win
Derby County secured a Boxing Day boost and all three
points in a deserved 2-1 home win over managerless West Bromwich Albion at Pride Park Stadium in the Sky
Bet Championship.
Jerry Yates put the Rams ahead before the half-hour mark with a low shot from inside the box for his fifth goal of the season.
Kayden Jackson helped double the advantage in the 67th minute as he forced an own goal from visiting defender Mason Holgate.
Substitute Grady Diangana’s headed goal for the Baggies tightened the game in the 81st minute to set up a tense finish, but Derby held on for all three points.
Key Moments
West Brom kicked off proceedings and had the opening attack of the match from the first whistle as Tom Fellows spun a shot over the bar from the left flank.
Yates came close in the second minute as he latched onto Kane Wilson’s incisive low-cross, but an excellent save from Baggies goalkeeper Alex Palmer denied the striker from close range.
Another low delivery from Wilson saw Derby come close as the cross was deflected towards Marcus Harness on the edge of the box. He struck the bouncing ball fiercely towards goal but was thwarted by the legs of a Baggies defender.
Derby again threatened as Nat Phillips shot following Kenzo Goudmijn’s free-kick from deep in the 15th minute. The Dutch midfielder found the defender in the box and Phillips controlled the ball with his chest and hit towards goal when it dropped to force a low diving save from Palmer.
A well-worked move in the 22nd minute saw the Rams go close again as Nathaniel Mendez-Laing fired a shot in the box over the bar following a neat move between the Guatemalan international, Goudmijn and Callum Elder on the left flank to create the opportunity.
West Brom came close in the 25th minute when Darnell Furlong fired a driven shot from distance towards goal, but it struck the post and bounced away from danger.
A shot across goal from Yates gave the Rams the lead in the 27th minute as he latched onto Goudmijn’s sharp pass into the box, held off two defenders and hit the ball beyond Palmer with his left foot via the far post.
Derby were near again ten minutes later as Yates flicked on a free-kick delivery from Elder with a back-heel and sent the ball looping towards goal, forcing Palmer to scramble backwards and tip the ball over the frame of his goal.
The visitors' next chance came in the 44th minute when John Swift curled a stinging free-kick from 25 yards out that clipped the upright of Derby’s goal frame.
The Rams entered the second period with a goal advantage and excellent work from Elder kept it that way as the Baggies had the first attack of the half in the 48th minute. The Australian left-back went to ground firmly to block Fellows’ shot from a dangerous position.
Goudmijn struck near in the 51st minute when the ball broke for him in space 25 yards out and his shot just evaded the far post.
A marauding run from Mendez-Laing looked to be fruitful in the 56th minute, as Yates played the winger into space to charge on goal. He took the ball to the byline with Harness lurking in the box to finish, but Mendez-Laing was put off balance and the ball was sent out of play after some last-ditch defending by the Baggies.
The visitors looked to hit back in the 65th minute as a double chance saw Mikey Johnston's shot blocked by Harness in the box and the follow-up from Alex Mowatt was saved well by Derby goalkeeper Jacob Widell Zetterström.
Jackson helped to double the Rams’ lead in the 68th minute as he struck from a
tight angle in the penalty area after latching onto Wilson’s
low-deflected strike towards goal. His effort was chalked down as an
own goal as it was steered into the back of the net by Holgate in the West Brom backline.
Substitute Diangana got one back for the visitors, though, as he connected with Fellows’ high delivery in the box to head home at the far post.
Sonny Bradley entered the field in place of Elder in the 83rd minute as Derby made their third change of the evening.
Zetterström made a vital save as West Brom pushed for an
equaliser in the 89th minute. The ball dropped to Karlan Grant in a packed
penalty area and the striker struck the ball through a sea of defenders' legs,
but Derby’s goalkeeper was alert and got down low to save.
Two last-minute free-kicks saw West Brom go close but the
goalmouth scrambles were both cleared decisively by the Rams as they held on to pick up an excellent victory over the promotion chasers.
The Teams
Derby County: Zetterström (GK), Wilson, Nelson, Phillips, Elder (Bradley 83), Goudmijn, Adams, Harness, Jackson (Chirewa 71), Mendez-Laing (C) (Forsyth 71), Yates (Brown 90+2).
Unused Substitutes: Vickers (GK), Ward, Barkhuizen, Collins, Blackett-Taylor.
West Bromwich Albion: Palmer (GK), Furlong, Holgate (Styles 75), Bartley (C), Maja, Swift (Diangana 69), Heggem, Račić, Johnston (Grant 69), Mowatt, Fellows.
Unused Substitutes: Wildsmith (GK), Frabotta, Wallace, Molumby, Diakaté, Cole.
Referee: Jarred Gillett
Assistant Referees: Gary Beswick, Sian Massey-Ellis
Fourth Official: Edward Duckworth
Attendance
31,267 (3,118 away supporters).
What’s Next?
Derby will return to action at Pride Park when they go head-to-head with Leeds United in the Sky Bet Championship on Sunday 29th December (5:45pm kick-off).
