Cocu: “We Can All Be Happy With The Three Points”

Phillip Cocu was understandably a happy man after seeing his Derby County side run out 2-0 winners against Luton Town at Pride Park Stadium.

An own goal by Luton's Matty Pearson, after a mistake by Luton goalkeeper Simon Sluga, and a Tom Lawrence strike from a tight angle secured all three points for the Rams.

The victory saw Derby extend their unbeaten run in the Sky Bet Championship to five games, while Derby also kept their first clean sheet since the opening home game of the campaign.

Back-to-back home wins, and a point on the road at Barnsley in midweek, means Cocu's side head into the second international break of the season with seven points from a possible nine recorded this week.

Speaking to RamsTV after the game, Cocu commented: “It is great to get the result and also the clean sheet is something inside our team that we really wanted to pull off today.

“I think in the first half of the game we did quite well; we kept the ball well and we created chances.

“Maybe in the second half we went a bit too far back, so when you win the ball back the distance is really far to go to the offensive part of the opponents.

“That was maybe the small detail that we could do better, but we stayed in the game and after we got the second goal we kept the clean sheet.

“I think it’s an important win after the draw at Barnsley, and the late equaliser they got. I think we can all be happy with the three points.”

Cocu admitted there was an element of fortune with both of Derby’s goals against the Hatters.

Sluga took his eyes off Pearson’s backpass early on, with the ball rolling under his foot and into the net to open the scoring.

Lawrence’s goal came at a crucial point in the second half as Luton were beginning to put the Rams under pressure.

The Welshman fired in a cross-shot from the right which caught Sluga out at his near post with 20 minutes left to play.

“Maybe the goals we got were fortunate a little bit,” he said.

“The first goal I didn’t even see; we were talking as a staff and I had turn my head to the pitch and it was in!

“Then for the second goal if I was Tom Lawrence, I would say it was his intention to shoot. It is a great goal and now you see when it goes your way the details can decide.

“We had two good opportunities on goal we didn’t score, we could have but we didn’t. That is how football is sometimes.”