Tue 04 Nov - Posted in Breaking News
Time to read: 3mins
Head Coach John Eustace and match-winning goalscorer Lars-Jorgen Salvesen gave their thoughts after Derby County beat Hull City 2-1 at Pride Park Stadium to secure a fourth win on the bounce in the Sky Bet Championship on Tuesday night.
Carlton Morris netted his ninth goal of the season in the first half with a bullet header at the near post to put the Rams ahead, before the Tigers equalised shortly after the break courtesy of Joel Ndala.
Salvesen made himself the hero in the 83rd minute, notching his second Derby goal and his first since recovering from a long-term knee injury sustained in March. The Norwegian guided the ball into an empty net from distance with his first touch off the bench to secure all three points for the Rams.
RamsTV caught up with Salvesen after the win to talk about being the matchwinner under the Pride Park floodlights.
It's hard to explain, actually, because it's been a tough time for me personally. Obviously, with the injury, I had a rough start. Getting the injury was a big blow for me.
I couldn't contribute at the end of last season. To be out for six months was tough and then it was about coming back and working hard to get in shape, get minutes and do my best every day. This is what I live for. This is what I train for. This is what it's all about.
Scoring my first goal at Pride Park is a dream come true. It makes it all worth it.
We didn't have the best game against Oxford after the international break and we kind of got together as a group and just put a marker down. We got the win against Norwich in our next match and then just built from that. It's been a good run, and why stop here?
RamsTV also spoke with Eustace after the final whistle at Pride Park to get his verdict on the 90 minutes.
In the first half, I thought we were really good. I thought we dominated with and without the ball in the opening 45 minutes. We lost our way in the second half, which was disappointing.
There was a couple of tired legs out there in that second half. The way the boys dug in was fantastic and to get the late win is even better and brilliant for Lars. He's worked his absolute socks off to get into this position.
He's been very patient and I'm proud of his efforts since I've been here. To get the winner is fully deserved.
It's because we're a family. That's what happens. Through tough times and good times, we stick together - always.
We've had some really difficult moments already this season and we've stuck together. The way the boys have trained every day, with their attitude, it's been a different class.
The lads that came off the bench played their part. This is what the squad's all about. It's about the 25 players every day coming in, working their socks off, looking after each other and you get your rewards in the end.
He's a top, top goalkeeper and he's getting better.
He's got a fantastic goalkeeper coach in Paul Clements as well. You can see his improvement in the last year or so, certainly since we’ve been here. He's only going to get better and we're really fortunate he's here playing for us.
Words: Ella Barber.
Pride Park Stadium
Middlesbrough
Hull City
Wrexham
Derby County
Norwich City
Birmingham City
Swansea City
Bristol City
