3/1 To Win
Manager Phillip Cocu felt a point was a fair result after his side drew 2-2 with Stoke City at the Bet365 Stadium.
Martyn Waghorn put Derby County ahead in the opening 90 seconds of the game before Stoke City equalised just after the half hour mark through Liam Lindsay.
Scott Hogan put the Potters ahead 10 minutes into the second half before Waghorn equalised from the penalty spot after George Evans was brought down in the penalty box.
Waghorn had a great opportunity to grab his hat-trick and put the Rams ahead late in the game, however, he was thwarted by Stoke goalkeeper Jack Butland.
And Cocu, who is still unbeaten as Derby manager, felt the scoreline was fair. “We have to be satisfied with a point today,” he told RamsTV.
“At the Swansea game, I wasn’t, even today, when you see the game, if Waghorn scored his third then it was possible to win but they did have some opportunities when they hit the crossbar. We have to accept the point.
“We didn’t play our favourite game, especially in the first half, after a fantastic start, of course. It was a great goal and we struggled with the direct game they play with the ball.
“I had to change something at half time. The change wasn’t defensive, we needed to build up and get the domination back and get the ball in their half. We did better but conceded the goal.
£It was a direct pass behind the defence and this shouldn’t happen. We have to be aware and we knew this kind of play was coming.
“They play with two strikers and a number 10 behind but we came back into the game and went close to winning it. A draw is okay.”
Waghorn’s brace got him off the mark for the season and the manager was pleased for the forward, especially following his penalty miss last week.
“He scored a goal [before the penalty], so that was good for his confidence during the game,” Cocu said.
“I’m happy he scored again. It is no doubt that it is a positive for the team.”
On his chance to put the Rams ahead late in the game, Cocu commented: “The left corner was open and I thought he could have pushed it on his inside foot but he made his mind up in a different way.
“Maybe he had too much time to think about it but that’s details in football. If you look back at Swansea, there was a penalty and we could have won, now maybe the win was too much but it’s possible.
“These points can be important so we can’t lose too many points but in the end, a 2-2 scoreline was a right scoreline.”
