3/1 To Win
David Nugent says Derby County need to start killing teams off after a last-gasp header denied them derby day honours at Nottingham Forest.
Daniel Pinillos powered in a header from a corner deep into injury time to salvage a point for the Reds – a crucial goal that kept Mark Warburton’s new side out of the Sky Bet Championship’s relegation zone.That came after the Rams had fought back from Zach Clough’s early opener to lead 2-1, with Matěj Vydra and Nugent scoring in a devastating five-minute spell at the beginning of the second half.
Summing up the emotions in the aftermath of Forest’s late equaliser, Nugent told RamsTV: “We’re gutted. As a team, we were all in the dressing room devastated that we conceded a last-minute goal.
“These set plays seem to be our Achilles heel at the moment. We have got to take it on the chin, though. We have got a point, but it feels like a defeat at the end of it.” The Rams’ significant improvement came after a couple of tactical tweaks at half time from Rowett.
As well as moving Johnny Russell out on the left, which in turn saw Vydra switch to a more central role behind the leading striker, the Derby boss also asked his players to step further up the pitch and apply a stronger press out of possession.
Nugent, the man leading the line, felt the Rams were a ‘miles better team’ off the back of it.
The 31-year-old explained: “We started very well in the first five minutes and pressed really well but once they scored, the confidence seemed to go out of us a little bit.
“We resorted more to long balls and that’s tough to deal with as a forward. We had a word with ourselves at the break and stepped up further up the pitch.
“We battered them in the first 20 minutes of the second half and we should have scored a lot more.
“When the team is 10-yards further up the pitch, it is so much easier for the strikers because you know the midfield is behind you.
“Once we did that, we were miles better as a team. We saw more of the ball and we created more chances. As a striker, it is always great to score in a local derby. I wish it had been the winner.”
It wasn’t to be for Derby, though. They had further chances to extend their advantage – notably through Tom Ince and Alex Pearce – as Forest rallied in the dying embers of the contest to steal a point.
Nugent felt the Rams failed to heed the hosts’ warning signs and were made to pay as they dropped to try and defend their one-goal advantage.
He added: “Once we scored the second goal, we seemed to drop back as a team.
“It’s hard to press when the team is so deep because you know that nobody is behind you and so it’s a natural cycle – the defence drops, the midfield drops and the strikes then drop.
“We were on the halfway line and the defenders were in the 18-yard box, but as a team that’s something you have to learn from.
“We need to kill teams off. At 2-1, we had the chances to score more goals, but in the end, the signs were there.
“They hit the post and they had a corner in the last-minute, which they scored from. We have to stop conceding silly goals from set plays.”
REPORT: Nottingham Forest 2-2 Derby County
Rowett Reflects On An ‘Array Of Emotions’ After Forest Draw
Image Gallery: Nottingham Forest 2-2 Derby County
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