3/1 To Win
Wayne Rooney felt Derby County gave themselves a mountain to climb early on as they tasted a 2-1 defeat at Swansea City on Saturday afternoon.
All the goals came in the first half in South Wales as Rooney’s side were beaten on the road by the ever-improving Swans as they battle to remain in the Sky Bet Championship after a hefty 21-point deduction.
Derby fell behind after just eight minutes as a ball into the box from the left-hand side by Hannes Wolf was driven into the bottom corner by Joel Piroe.
Swansea’s Dutch forward added a second for the hosts with 16 minutes as he curled an effort beyond the reach of Ryan Allsop after the Rams failed to clear their lines.
Derby were offered a way back into the contest before the halfway mark of the opening 45 minutes from the penalty spot after Luke Plange was fouled by Swansea goalkeeper Andy Fisher - and skipper Tom Lawrence netted his 11th goal of the season to halve the deficit.
The Welshman’s spot-kick allowed the Rams to settle and play their own game but, despite a few promising moments, they were unable to get back on level terms before the interval.
Derby pushed to get back level in the second half but chances were few and far between at both ends.
The hosts came close to restoring the two-goal cushion as Wolf hit the crossbar from inside the box and, down the other end, Rooney’s side felt they should have been awarded a penalty deep into added time when substitute Bartosz Cybulski went down in the penalty area.
Despite his obvious frustration at not being awarded a second spot kick, Rooney admitted his side gave themselves a mountain to climb as a result of their sluggish start at the Swansea.com Stadium.
Rooney told RamsTV after the final whistle: “I thought, in the first 20 minutes, we didn’t play well.
“We gave them too very sloppy goals, we know we can’t give goals away like that because it makes it difficult, and I felt after that we started to control things and it was a good game of football.
“The first time we got the ball down and we got on it with a bit of composure was 18 minutes. From that minute, we did that throughout the game. They tried to press us and we played around that at times so I felt it was a good game of football.
“We got the goal back, we kept pushing trying to get the equaliser and we got robbed at the end in my view in terms of not getting a penalty. For me, it was a clear penalty and then the game was ended when we have a free kick right on the edge of the box, so it’s just not good enough and I’m sick of saying it every week.”
He added: “Ultimately we came here to try and get the points, we didn’t and that’s disappointing. We pushed to get the equaliser but it wasn’t to be.”
Derby are nine points adrift of safety with five games plenty to play this season after both the Rams and Reading, at home to Cardiff City, tasted defeat in the latest round of Championship fixtures.
Despite the loss, Rooney is not giving up hope just yet when it comes to Championship survival, but he knows the odds are stacked against his side.
He said: “I’ve said to the lads inside that it’s a difficult task now. We will keep pushing, trying but ultimately we will give everything in these final five games.
“What we have to do is keep believing in how we play and what we are trying to do. I can start planning and preparing in terms of the squad for next season, but we will give everything in these next five games.”
Derby return to Championship action with a home fixture against league leaders Fulham at Pride Park Stadium on Friday 15th April (8pm kick-off).
