Four second half goals saw Derby County fall to a 4-1 defeat at the hands of Bristol City, who in turn extended their unbeaten record at Ashton Gate.
After starting the match well, the Rams edged ahead courtesy of Matej Vydra’s fifth goal of the season and third from the penalty spot this campaign, after he was hauled down by Frank Fielding inside the area.
The only thing that did do, however, was spur Lee Johnson’s side on.
Scott Carson kept Derby’s lead intact with his superb point-blank range save from Jonathan Leko and, with half-time approaching, he produced another spectacular save to turn away Jamie Paterson’s glancing header away at his far post.
After seeing their advantage through to half-time, things took a turn for the worst for Rowett’s side as the hosts struck twice to turn the game on its head in four minutes.
A 50-minute goal from Bristol City courtesy of Cauley Woodrow’s header threw the home side straight back into the mix and then, to make matters worse, the Robins were awarded a penalty after Leko was tripped inside the box on 54 minutes.
Reid stepped up confidently and tucked the ball away, giving Bristol the lead in quick succession.
Far more expansive after that as they sought a way back into the game, David Nugent, Bradley Johnson, Tom Lawrence and Sam Winnall all had good chances to score for the Rams.
They failed to take their opportunities and Rowett's side were punished in the most ruthless fashion possible as the hosts struck a further two times late on to add salt to some already deep wounds.
Paterson made it 3-1 as his free-kick bounced over the goal-line via the underside of the crossbar and then Famara Diedhiou added a fourth on the cusp of added time as the Rams fell to a third consecutive away defeat in all competitions.
Bristol City: Fielding, Bryan, Flint, Wright (C), Baker, Smith, Reid, Woodrow (Diedhiou, 65), Paterson, Pack, Leko (Brownhill, 65)
Substitutes not used: Taylor, O’Dowda, Steele, Eliasson, Magnusson
Derby County: Carson, Baird, Keogh (C), Davies, Olsson; Huddlestone, Johnson; Lawrence, Vydra (Winnall, 59), Weimann (Russell, 71); Nugent (Martin, 59)
Substitutes not used: Michell, Wisdom, Pearce, Thorne
Attendance: 19,743 (1,532 away supporters)
It finished 4-1, but over the course of the match Scott Carson made a handful of outstanding saves, particularly in the first half, to keep Bristol City at bay.
On top of that, Tom Lawrence was lively and looked a threat each time he brought the ball forward.
He was unlucky not to open his Rams account on a few occasions, but again, he continue to prove how good of an addition he is to this Derby side.
There’s two in this story.
The first was the hosts’ two goals in four minutes that turned the match on its head straight after half time – forcing the Rams to come out the solid shape they adopted to try and play more expansive.
In between the second and third goal, the Rams had four chances to draw level and needed to take one.
Nugent fired over from a tight angle, Johnson glanced a header just wide, Lawrence saw a free-kick saved and Winnall saw a clean shot blocked inside the area.
Had one of those gone in, it could have been a very different story.
Derby will have to wait for a week to bounce back from their defeat against Bristol City, but Rowett’s have the perfect chance to do so on home turf against his former side, Birmingham City.
After their fine 5-0 display against Hull City last time out at Pride Park, Rowett will be hoping his side can replicate their efforts as they look to return to winning ways.
