POST-MATCH INTERVIEW: ‘We were excellent overall but were punished for switching off’ - Eustace

Head Coach John Eustace pointed to Derby County’s desire and commitment despite his side being ‘punished for switching off’ in their first defeat in five Sky Bet Championship games in a 1-0 loss at Swansea City on Saturday afternoon.

A close-fought clash saw the Rams have chances in both halves against the Swans, but a late goal from Swansea’s Ji-sung Eom handed Eustace’s men their first defeat in over a month in South Wales.

Derby will have to refocus quickly and look to reaffirm the momentum built up from four wins in their previous four games as they look ahead to playing table-topping Burnley at Pride Park Stadium on Tuesday night (7:45pm kick-off).

Eustace spoke to RamsTV at the Swansea.com Stadium to assess the performance.

On the 1-0 defeat against Swansea…

It is very disappointing to lose, but I thought we controlled much of the game with and without the ball. The manner in which we conceded, I think, was Swansea’s one opportunity on goal all match. We needed to defend that cross better and put our heads on the ball. It was the one time we switched off - and we were punished for it.

Over the course of 90 minutes, I thought the group was excellent. They worked their socks off. The desire was there. The commitment was there. I'm just really disappointed for them. They put so much effort in after such a huge effort on Wednesday night and to come away with nothing today is really frustrating.

On seeing positives throughout the performance…

I liked our structure without the ball and thought we were very difficult to play against. In the transitions, we were okay, but we need to be better in that final third when we get that opportunity. Overall, it was a positive performance in my eyes. I'm just really disappointed to lose.

On a quick turnaround with Burnley at Pride Park up next on Tuesday night…

We've got another opportunity now on Tuesday to bounce back and I know this group will. We had 2,000 fans following us down to Swansea and they were outstanding today. I'm just sorry we couldn't give them more to cheer about at the end but the ovation they gave the boys was there for everyone to see. They could see the effort was there from the group and we've got to push ourselves down and go again now. I know how passionate the fans are, and I know how much they care about the club, and this group of players care just as much. It's a group effort from now to the end of the season to make sure we get enough points to stay in the league.