Pride Park Stadium
Derby County came out as 3-1 winners following an emphatic second-half showing against Blackburn Rovers at Pride Park Stadium on Saturday.
After a back-and-forth first 45 minutes, Hayden Carter put Blackburn in front in added time when he headed in a free-kick from deep.
Ben Brereton Díaz levelled the scoring in the 55th minute with a neat move begun and completed by the Chilean international.
Matt Clarke then steered Derby in front in the 74th minute after a free-kick routine from the left flank. Rhian Brewster extended the Rams’ advantage nine minutes later when he headed in Derry Murkin’s cross.
The first opening of the contest came in the eighth minute when Carlton Morris’ long ball, following a Blackburn Rovers free-kick, found Brereton Díaz charging down the right flank. He opted to shoot from an angle, and Rovers goalkeeper Balázs Tóth made the save.
Tidy play between Bobby Clark, Patrick Agyemang and Lewis Travis looked to yield a result in the 15th minute, but the ball was fended off by the visitors as it was sent across the face of the goal twice, and their lines were cleared.
Blackburn had their closest chance in the 19th minute when Yūki Ōhashi received a direct pass on the turn in the penalty area and hit a low effort across goal, which went just wide of the mark.
Derby seemed to be value for the lead in the 32nd minute when Sam Szmodics homed in on Agyemang with a defence-splitting pass. Agyemang took on full-back Ryan Alebiosu and fashioned a one-on-one, which saw Tóth deny the Rams again.
The game took on a feisty complexion after the half-hour mark; a hard challenge from Adam Forshaw sent Szmodics into the air and raised tensions with both men receiving yellow cards.
Josh Vickers made his first major intervention of the contest when Yuri Ribiero was slipped into space on the right flank and struck towards the near post in the 42nd minute. The Derby goalkeeper got down low and made a strong save with his left hand.
Carter headed the visitors ahead in added time of the first period as he rose highest to meet Ribiero’s free-kick delivery from the left.
Agyemang came near at the start of the second half when he tried a right-footed effort that wrapped around the wrong side of the post as Derby searched for an equaliser.
Szmodics also came close from distance a minute later, but a sliding challenge from Carter caught him off his stride to see the ball go off target.
The leveller did come in the 55th minute when Brereton Díaz started and finished a passing move to convert from inside the box. He surged in-field from the right and laid off the ball to Agyemang, who found Murkin to return the ball to the Chilean to score.
The Rams remained on top after the goal, with Rhian Brewster joining play in place of Carlton Morris. Joe Ward fizzed a half-volley from distance inches wide after a sustained attacking spell in the 66th minute.
A well-orchestrated free-kick routine from deep saw Derby turn the tie around as the ball was worked out to Brewster to send a deep cross towards the back post. Szmodics kept things alive and found Clarke by the goal line to poke it home.
The Rams got their third goal nine minutes later when Bobby Clark slid Murkin into space to cross onto the head of Brewster to score and seal the win.
Derby County: Vickers (GK), Murkin (Forsyth 86), Clarke, Agyemang, Morris (Brewster 60), Szmodics (Ozoh 80), Ward, Brereton Díaz, Travis (C), Sanderson, Clark (Fraulo 86).
Unused Substitutes: O’Donnell (GK), Banel, Eames, I Gordon, Allen.
Blackburn Rovers: Tóth (GK), Alebiosu, Ribeiro (Pickering 69), Guðjohnsen (Jørgensen 69), McLoughlin (C), Carter (Gardner-Hickman 80), Cashin, Ōhashi, Baradji (De Neve 80), Morishita, Forshaw.
Unused Substitutes: Michalski (GK), Afolayan, O’Riordan, Montgomery, Atcheson.
27,831 (including 1,627 Away Supporters)
The Rams will be on home turf once more as they clash with Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday 7th March in the Sky Bet Championship.
