Derby County claimed all three points with an impressive and resilient
3-1 win over West Bromwich Albion at the Hawthorns in the Sky Bet
Championship on Easter Monday.
Ebou Adams cannoned in a header from Marcus Harness’ corner to give the Rams the lead inside eight minutes before Jerry Yates doubled the lead from another corner with half an hour played.
Adam Armstrong got a goal back for the home side in the 70th minute with a tidy finish after he was played in behind the Rams defence and Albion forced Derby to show their resilience late on as they flew forward looking for an equaliser.
But substitute Nathaniel Mendez-Laing fired in the Rams’ third goal in the 88th minute to secure a vital away win in the fight for survival.
Key Moments
An excellently timed challenge from Adams in the fifth minute mounted the first significant attack of the game as he dispossessed Tom Fellows inside Derby’s penalty area.
After winning the ball the Rams broke upfield and a cross from Kane Wilson veered on target and forced West Brom goalkeeper Josh Griffiths to make a save.
Adams’ good start continued as he connected with Harness’ corner delivery and bulleted in a front-post header beyond Griffiths and into the back of the net in the eighth minute to put Derby ahead.
After sustaining a bout of pressure from the hosts following the goal, Derby looked lively again on the attack just after the 20-minute mark, with Wilson linking up with Harness down the right flank and Craig Forsyth creating with Yates on the left side. However, West Brom’s defence held them to half-chances.
Nat Phillips made a crucial block in the 25th minute after Fellows dribbled beyond his man and looked to square the ball dangerously into the penalty box. The Rams' defender was there to intercept before the ball could reach the West Brom attacking line, who were lurking.
Derby had the second through Yates in the 30th minute - his tenth league goal of the season -and it was Harness’ corner ball again to the near post which caused the danger. The delivery was met by Sondre Langås and flicked to Yates, who nudged the ball into the back of the net with his shin.
Torbjorn Heggem came close for West Brom in the 36th minute when he had space on the edge of the box. He curled an effort towards the top right corner, but it just evaded the frame of the goal.
Josh Vickers made a crucial save in the 39th minute as Fellows struck hard towards the bottom corner when the ball was crossed into the box, but lightning-fast reactions from the Rams' shot-stopper saw him get down to make the save.
West Brom looked to start the second half brighter and Langås was called upon to defend as he jostled well for the ball when it looked like a through ball to striker Will Lankshear would create a clear-cut chance for the Baggies in the 47th minute.
Derby looked to fashion a fruitful avenue down the left wing when Forsyth was played into a crossing position after good work by Liam Thompson to retain the ball in the 50th minute. The left-back’s cross just missed the head of Harness and couldn’t quite find Yates, who was ready to pounce but for a clearance from the West Brom defence.
The Rams continued their pressure with Harrison Armstrong, Adams and Thompson all holding possession as Derby moved through the lines to create.
A neat move in the 58th minute saw them come near as the interplay saw Forsyth deliver an enticing ball to the near post, but Yates couldn’t reach it in time before West Brom cleared the danger.
Wholesale changes from Baggies boss Tony Mowbray saw the hosts look to change things in the 62nd minute as they substituted four attackers onto the pitch, with Armstrong, Daryl Dike, Karlan Grant and Jed Wallace entering the field.
Armstrong got a goal back for the hosts in the 70th minute when
he was played through on goal and slotted a tidy finish underneath Vickers.
Pinball inside the Derby penalty area saw the hosts look dangerous in the 77th minute, but the Rams were holding firm against relentless pressure from the Baggies' forward line.
Kayden Jackson came on as John Eustace’s first change of the match in the 81st minute, but the Rams' defending job continued as Matt Clarke connected with a vital header to steer a cross that looked certain to find Grant in an advantageous shooting position.
Substitute Mendez-Laing had an instant impact as he came
onto the pitch and ghosted into an onside position down the left, flicked the ball over
the head of the goalkeeper and tapped the ball into the back of the net to seal an impressive win against a side challenging for a play-off spot.
Derby saw out the closing stages well to seal an important win to keep them out of the bottom three with two matches remaining.
The Teams
West Bromwich Albion: Griffiths (GK), Furlong (Grant 63), Holgate (Dike 63), Bartley, Diangana, Heggem, Diakaté (Mowatt 79), Lankshear (Armstrong 63), Price, Johnston (Wallace 63), Fellows.
Substitutes Not Used: Wildsmith (GK), Swift, Frabotta, Cole.
Derby County: Vickers (GK), Wilson, Forsyth, Langås, Yates (Mendez-Laing 86), Phillips, Thompson, Harness (Jackson 81), Clarke, Armstrong, Adams (C).
Substitutes Not Used: Luthra (GK), Barkhuizen, Osborn, Goudmijn, Rooney, Pieters, Wheeldon.
Referee: Gavin Ward
Assistant Referees: Sam Lewis, Richard Woodward
Fourth Official: Simon Mather
What’s Next?
The Rams will head to Humberside for their penultimate Sky Bet Championship fixture of the 2024/25 season on Saturday 26th April to take on Hull City at the MKM Stadium (3pm kick-off).
