3/1 To Win
Derby County fell to a 1-0 defeat against Bristol
City at Ashton Gate in the Sky Bet Championship on Saturday afternoon.
Luke McNally fired the home side into the lead in the 19th minute, which came against the run of play following a period of dominance from the Rams early on.
Despite pressure in the second half, the hosts remained resolute as Derby tried for an equaliser and the Robins held onto their lead.
Key Moments
Derby had multiple chances inside the opening five minutes, with Kane Wilson looking to cause havoc on the right flank against his former club.
A move started by Wilson saw Derby have the first shot on goal. The right-back made a marauding run into the centre of the park and found Jerry Yates, who played a diagonal pass over to Callum Elder to cross. He picked out Nathaniel Mendez-Laing and he struck the ball on the half-volley in the penalty area to force a save from goalkeeper Max O’Leary.
Marcus Harness headed narrowly off target in the 17th minute after a spell of possessional pressure from Derby. He latched onto Wilson's cross but could only send the ball wide of the post.
The hosts took the lead with their first chance of the game as McNally latched onto the end of a pinpoint free-kick delivery to the far post to direct the ball into the back of the net.
Bristol City came close again two minutes later as ex-Derby defender Haydon Roberts played a neat ball to Anis Mehmeti, who was one-on-one with goalkeeper Jacob Widell Zetterström. He attempted to chip the shot-stopper, but Zetterström got off his line fast to put his body in the way of the attempt, as did the sliding Elder, and a combination of the two saw the Rams survive.
Wilson forced a stop from O’Leary in the 30th minute as he met Mendez-Laing’s free-kick with a firm head towards goal, but the goalkeeper was equal to it and tipped the ball over the bar for a corner. The next set-piece found the head of Curtis Nelson but the centre-back couldn’t muster enough power to trouble the goalkeeper, who duly collected the ball.
Harness fired over the bar towards the end of the first period after Wilson spun a dangerous ball into a packed penalty area, but Scott Twine blocked the effort in front of goal.
A link-up between Wilson and Harness found Kayden Jackson running in behind in added time at the end of the first period. Jackson looked to square the ball to Yates, who was emerging in the box, but the pass was blocked by a Robins defender.
Paul Warne made the Rams’ first change of the game at half-time, with Ben Osborn replacing Jackson.
Nat Phillips had to be alert in the 52nd minute as he performed a sliding tackle in the Derby penalty area to deny Mehmeti who appeared in a dangerous position.
Derby started getting into some promising positions as they pushed for an equaliser. Mendez-Laing looked to find Harness in the box in the 53rd minute but the cross was well-scouted by Bristol defender Zak Vyner at the near post.
Fally Mayulu came near for the Robins in the 60th minute as a low delivery from George Tanner on the right flank struck the inside of his heel and spun just beyond the far post.
Tawanda Chirewa entered the field in the 63rd minute in place of Goudmijn as the Rams looked to up the pressure on the hosts. More reinforcements followed in the 71st minute with Craig Forsyth and Dajaune Brown taking the place of Harness and Liam Thompson.
A long throw from Elder looked to cause trouble in the 84th
minute. Nelson got a foot to the ball and attempted to steer it towards goal, but the chance was cleared from danger.
Mayulu had a chance to put Bristol into a 2-0 lead in the 89th minute but for Forsyth’s tackle in the penalty area after a kind bounce looked to find the Robins’ striker in position to shoot.
City saw out three minutes of added time to claim the three points.
The Teams
Bristol City: O’Leary (GK), McCrorie (Tanner 58), McNally, Dickie, Bird, Twine (Hirakawa 78), Mehmeti, Knight (C), Vyner, Wells (Mayulu 58), Roberts.
On The Bench: Bajic (GK), Bell, Cornick, McGuane, Morrison, Earthy.
Derby County: Zetterström (GK), Wilson, Nelson, Phillips, Elder, Goudmijn (Chirewa 63), Thompson, Harness, Mendez-Laing (C) (Collins 88), Yates, Jackson (Osborn 46).
On The Bench: Vickers (GK), Rooney, Bradley, Barkhuizen.
Referee: Will Finnie
Assistant Referees: Bhupinder Singh Gill, Blake Antrobus
Fourth Official: Carl Brook
What's Next?
The Rams are next in action when they travel to London to take on Sky Bet League One side Leyton Orient in the Third Round of the Emirates FA Cup on Saturday 11th January (6pm kick-off).
