Andreas Weimann’s second half strike proved enough as Derby County recorded their fourth straight home win with a 1-0 win over Queens Park Rangers.
Andreas Weimann’s second half strike proved enough as Derby County recorded their fourth straight home win with a 1-0 win over Queens Park Rangers.
The forward lashed in Richard Keogh’s knock down from a corner to score his second goal in the space of four days at the iPro Stadium in a hard fought Sky Bet Championship clash.
Nothing personified that statement more than the cagey opening to the contest in which neither goalkeeper was tested in the early stages, the most notable opportunities presented themselves to the Rams just shy of the 25 minute mark.
This came after Clement was forced into his first change of the contest after Craig Forsyth, awkwardly, fell to the ground near the corner flag and needed urgent attention, before departing the field to a standing ovation on a stretcher.
After Andreas Weimann burst through the middle, avoiding two QPR Challengers in the process, the wideman switched the ball into the path of Johnny Russell who but for a last-gasp block, would have forced Robert Green, the former England goalkeeper, into a save.
Soon after, Jacob Butterfield curled a shot from the edge of the area narrowly wide of Green’s far post and whilst Chris Ramsey’s QPR were restricted to long-range efforts, Derby continued to create the better openings.
Jeff Hendrick, back in the starting XI, failed to get a goal bound touch on Weimann’s dangerous ball into the area, whilst Chris Martin glanced a header across goal wide.
Returning for the second 45 minutes, Derby started straight on the front foot with the opening goal coming six minutes after the restart.
After the post denied Butterfield’s drive from an original corner, the Rams’ second set piece caused just as many problem’s in QPR’s area and after the ball bounced into the path of Weimann, the Austrian lashed a high effort into the far corner of Green’s goal.
It was from corners that Clement’s side were causing the most problems. Another half cleared presented Butterfield another sight on goal, but this time Green was hand to palm the midfielder’s volley away from his goal.
From there, QPR penned the Rams back in their own half for large periods of the remaining minutes at the iPro Stadium.
Like the first half, Derby’s stubborn backline limited the R’s to long range opportunities, the only drama coming in the dying minutes of the contest as Ramsey’s men was reduced to 10 men after James Perch was sent off.
Despite six minutes of added time being shown, Clement’s side held out to set up Friday’s local derby meeting with Nottingham Forest by extending their unbeaten run to 10 games.
Derby County: Carson, Christie, Keogh, Shackell, Forsyth (Warnock, 21), (Baird, 77); Johnson, Butterfield, Hendrick (Hanson, 83); Weimann, Russell, Martin (C)
Substitutes not used: Grant, Bryson, Bent, Pearce
Queens Park Rangers: Green, Perch, Onuoha, Hall, Konchesky, Henry, Faurlin (Blackwood, 84), Tozser (Fer, 76), Suk-Young (Hoilett, 66), Phillips, Austin
Substitutes not used: Smithies, Angella, Doughty, Polter
Attendance: 28,502