Derby County grabbed a vital three points and their third win in a row in the Sky Bet
Championship as they came out on top in a 3-2 success against Plymouth Argyle at Home Park.
Marcus Harness put the Rams in front with a close-range finish in the 11th minute and Harrison Armstrong’s neat volley made it 2-0 to Derby in the 26th minute.
The hosts got back into the game before the break through Mustapha Bundu direct from a free-kick in the 38th minute and an own goal from Rams defender Nat Phillips after a fast-paced beginning to the second half saw them equalise.
Harness bagged the winning goal in the 87th minute - his fourth for the club since joining on loan from Ipswich Town in August and third in the last two matches.
The Rams came into the match buoyed by consecutive home victories, after John Eustace’s side beat Blackburn Rovers 2-1 and Coventry City 2-0 at Pride Park Stadium and they followed it up with their second away win this term in the second tier.
Key Moments
Defender Matt Clarke performed a crucial block to send the ball behind for a corner in the fifth minute as Plymouth's Ryan Hardie latched onto a low cross and aimed to direct the ball towards goal for the first chance of the match.
Derby looked to affect the match themselves and start proactively with Kane Wilson, who returned to the starting line-up after being rested against Coventry City on Tuesday night, pressing high. He forced the ball out for a throw-in, flung it into the the box himself and, after a flick-on by Phillips, Harness swivelled inside a busy penalty area to lash the ball into the net.
Derby could have doubled their advantage in the 22nd minute, but a foul was judged to have been committed on the goalkeeper before the ball entered the back of the net through Armstrong.
The second goal did come when Armstrong struck fantastically and gave Pilgrims’ goalkeeper Conor Hazard no chance to save in the 26th minute. He hit the ball mid-air with a fine finish as it dropped to him just inside the penalty area for his first career goal.
Plymouth defender Maksym Talovierov made an audacious attempt from distance in the 29th minute, but he struck the ball just over the bar.
However, Bundu’s free-kick reduced Derby’s lead late in the half as he struck a bending effort into the top corner from Plymouth's left-hand side.
Yates blazed over down the other end as Derby looked for an immediate response to restore their two-goal advantage. As the half came to a close, Derby forced to defend well to maintain their lead.
Plymouth started the second period quickly as they scored an equaliser just seconds after the restart. Hardie sent a low ball in for Callum Wright, who forced Phillips into a position to steer the ball into his own net for an own goal.
Kayden Jackson was Derby’s first change of the match in the 60th minute Liam Thompson making way on his 100th appearance for the club.
Jacob Widell Zetterström was called into action in the 61st minute as the Swedish shot-stopper got down low to save Bali Mumba’s long-range low strike.
Armstrong won the ball back with a sliding challenge high up the pitch and played Jackson down the wing as Derby got on the attack. The attacker aimed for the goal with a low strike, but saw his effort saved by Hazard.
Plymouth were looking to take the lead for the first time and Hardie mis-hit an effort in the 73rd minute as Bundu’s fizzed cross pinged off the striker’s leg at an awkward angle to send the ball wide, while Zetterström pulled off an acrobatic save to deny Bundu a second free kick goal from 20 yards. The ball rebounded back out into a packed penalty box and some last ditch defending from Derby kept the scores level.
Derby were forced into a second change as the second half progressed with Wilson forced off with an ankle knock which saw Sondre Langås enter the field.
However, Derby went back in front as Harness side-footed in an 87th-minute
winner from Callum Elder's low ball into the area from the left from the Rams' first
real effort of the second period.
Hard work from Yates saw Jackson played in on goal in a one-on-one situation deep into added time, but Hazard made himself big to keep the score at 3-2 to Derby.
Despite a tense closing to the contest, with backs to the wall required for the Rams, they held to take three points and round off a three-game week with a treble of maximum points.
Team News
Plymouth Argyle: Hazard (GK), Mumba (Edwards 72), Houghton, Szucs (Al Hajj 84), Hardie, Wright (Obafemi 63), Bundu, Puchacz (Ogbeta 72), Gyabi (Boateng 72), Katic (C), Talovierov.
Substitutes Not Used: Grimshaw (GK), Roberts, Issaka, Palsson.
Derby County: Zetterström (GK), Wilson (Langås 74), Forsyth, Yates, Phillips, Thompson (Jackson 60), Harness, Elder, Clarke, Armstong, Adams (C).
Substitutes Not Used: Vickers (GK), Barkhuizen, Goudmijn, Rooney, Nyambe, Hendrick, Agbawodikeizu.
Referee: John Busby
Assistant Referee: Mark Russell, Nigel Lugg
Fourth Official: James Linington
What’s Next?
The March international break sees a fortnight-long pause in fixtures with the Rams back in Sky Bet Championship action against Preston North End at Pride Park Stadium on Wednesday 2nd April (7:45pm kick-off).
