3/1 To Win
Phillip Cocu admitted it was ‘a pleasure’ to watch his Derby County side in action as they hammered Stoke City 4-0 at Pride Park Stadium in the Sky Bet Championship on Friday night.
Goals from Martyn Waghorn and Chris Martin had Derby in the driving seat by the midway point of the first-half with two quickfire strikes.
Skipper Wayne Rooney and Jayden Bogle added to the Rams’ tally in the second half to round off a positive night under the floodlights.
Derby have now racked up four wins in a row at Pride Park in the Championship and continue to boast one of the best home records in the division.
However, the thrashing of Michael O’Neill’s side was the Rams’ biggest victory of the season so far and the perfect response to Tuesday's 3-2 defeat at Luton Town.
Speaking to RamsTV after the final whistle, Cocu said: “Part of the performance was a definite reaction from Tuesday and there was also some frustration in the team.
“Maybe even more when we saw the post-match analysis and in big parts how well we played at Luton.
“We really wanted the win and today we showed the combination of desire, good football and great goals. It was a pleasure to watch the game tonight.
“We were focused, loyal in organisation and we played and dominated the game.
“At half-time the message was to continue in the second half in the same way as the first 45 minutes and keep in control, as well as try to get the third goal to kill the game."
He added: “If you see the quality of the goals, it was just enjoyment tonight. It was good.”
Derby were roared on by a crowd of in excess of 27,000 in their final fixture of January.
Cocu admitted he was pleased to see his side reward the supporters for their backing throughout the night.
He said: “I am happy for the fans that we had a good result and that we scored plenty of goals.
“We performed well in our last game at Pride Park against Hull and now we played very good in this game.
“That is what we try to put on at Pride Park every game we play here.”
Cocu also hailed Rooney’s contribution as the former England and Manchester United legend scored his first goal in a Derby shirt on home turf and his second in as many games.
His expertly taken free-kick from the edge of the box left Stoke goalkeeper Jack Butland grasping at thin air.
The Rams’ boss was also keen to not only praise the quality of his goal, but also his performance and the example he sets on the pitch.
He said: “That is Wayne’s individual class and it was a superb free-kick.
“He shows that on the pitch and he is a team player. It shows his individual skills as well and it was an important goal for us.
“Wayne behaves as a professional and he is an example for all.”
