Frank Lampard was quick to praise an ‘outstanding’ performance from his Derby County players after they recorded a second home win inside five days.
Goals from Mason Mount and skipper Richard Keogh handed the Rams a 2-0 win over Preston North End at Pride Park Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Lampard challenged his players to build some momentum following the midweek victory against Ipswich Town – and they delivered with a fine showing in front of the home crowd.
There were plenty of positives on display throughout as the Rams dominated for long spells and kept their opponents at arm’s length.
Speaking to RamsTV after the final whistle, Lampard said: “I thought it was an outstanding performance from us today.
“That’s not me getting carried away, I am just stating a fact. The lads were brilliant from start to finish in what was a difficult game against a well-organised Preston side that were pushing for the play-offs last year.
“We got the points today with desire, work rate and quality of play. I think we should have got a few more goals and I am really proud of the team today.
“I was pleased for both goalscorers as well; I’ve known Mason for several years and I know what he’s capable of. Today was a tough game for him as they tried to get tough with him in midfield and he stood up to that. He showed real quality to score the goal.
“I’m delighted for Rich; both him and Curtis Davies are captains of this club. They feel it and I certainly can see that. Not only did he score the goal with a great header but he was doing a great job for us at the back with a real desire and strength when we needed a leader.
“You saw in his celebration how much it meant to him.”
He added: “The mentality of the team was spot on. We need to keep going and not rest on this – we want to build momentum as we go on and we know the importance of not letting our guard down for a second.”
The only disappointment for Lampard was that Derby lost 18-year-old right-back Jayden Bogle to an ankle injury in the first half.
The Rams’ boss, however, was keen to praise his replacement Andre Wisdom for stepping off the bench to highlight the importance of having strength in depth in his squad.
He was also pleased with the impact of Bradley Johnson and Florian Jozefzoon, who were also introduced into the action in the second period.
He said: “We lost Jayden early on and we’ve had that a few times this season when we’ve had to make an early change.
“That restricts you a little bit in terms of the substitutions that you can make and the lads that come on have to get accustomed to the game quickly.
“All of the substitutes did really well and we saw the value of the squad once again. Andre Wisdom hasn’t played for the last few matches but he came on and stepped in with real composure.”
On Bogle’s injury he added: “I’m not sure of the severity but it’s an ankle injury. We just need it to settle down and then we’ll see how he is. Hopefully it isn’t too bad.”
