Derby County sent Barnsley out of the EFL Championship with a dominating 4-1 win tonight. The away stands at Pride Park were silenced within the first 15 minutes of the match from a Cameron Jerome goal. The 31-year-old calmly slid the ball past Jack Walton after a sublime effort from Bradley Johnson set him up free on goal.
Jerome assisted Matej Vydra for the second goal in the 55th minute who slammed it in from close range. The match continued with the Rams enjoying much of the ball. The visitors had a couple of half chances but the contest was pretty much over after Derby’s third in the 68th minute.
David Nugent guided in a header from the right side of the six-yard box ending the tie for good. Gary Rowett’s men were not done for the night. They got their fourth and final goal just minutes after the third. Nugent set Tom Lawrence at the edge of the box who struck a low driven shot into the bottom left. 4-0
The Tykes came back with a consolation 10 minutes before the final whistle. George Moncur dispatched a thumping effort towards the top right from distance.
Derby were on their way to finish in the 5th spot of the points table but Middlesbrough managed to grab an equaliser in injury time to reserve their place in front of the Rams. The hosts are set to face Fulham in the first round of the playoffs.
Here is how the Derby County players were rated at the night.
Scott Carson – 7/10
Not the busiest night for the 32-year-old. Picked up the scraps and was left helpless for the opposition goal.
Richard Keogh – 8/10
He was dominant right from kickoff. Unlucky to see his shot get denied by the woodwork. His tackling and marking were on-point with a crucial block to go with it.
Curtis Davies – 8/10
A usual outing by Davies. Commanded the Derby backline and did not allow either Kieffer Moore or Olivier McBurnie to get comfortable on the ball.
Craig Forsyth – 7/10
He was adventurous on the offensive end even after starting as part of the defensive back-three. A decent outing by him. Cleared the lines and won back possession when needed.
Andre Wisdom – 6/10
Some of his passes were off but still impactful. Disciplined at the back and equally helpful on the offensive end.
Tom Huddlestone – 7/10
A key component of the Derby midfield as he outworked and out-muscled the opposition players multiple times.
Bradley Johnson – 7/10
Wonderful work in the first half to earn himself the assist.
Marcus Olsson – 6/10
Unfortunate to get injured but looked lively in the minutes he was on.
Andreas Weimann – 9/10
You will always get a tireless runner in Weimann and that is exactly what the fans got tonight. Man of the match worthy performance from the Austrian as he ends the night with 2 assists.
Tom Lawrence – 7/10
Very clever with the ball and did well to get the last Derby goal.
Cameron Jerome – 8/10
He was involved right from the start. Held off the ball well and ran the channels to pull defenders out of their position. One goal and an assist.
Substitutes:
Matej Vydra – 8/10
Massive impact as a substitute to score his 22nd goal of the season.
David Nugent – 7/10
Did the needful and finishes the night with an assist.
Joe Ledley – NA
