On a night in which Paul Warne got his tactics right, goals from Max Bird, Nathaniel Mendez-Laing and Tom Barkhuizen set the Rams on their way as they picked up their eleventh away league win of the season.
There were four changes from the side which conceded a late equaliser at home to Shrewsbury on Saturday, with Kane Wilson, Eiran Cashin, Callum Elder and Corey Blackett-Taylor all back in the starting XI.
In an eventful start to the game, Derby could have taken the lead inside the opening five minutes, Kane Wilson beating Zak Jules at the byline and pulling the ball back for James Collins. But the number nine’s shot lacked power and was held by Exeter goalkeeper Viljami Sinsalo.
The hosts promptly went up the other end and would have a couple of chances from range. First Reece Cole blazed a long-distance effort high and wide, and a couple of minutes later came a Grecians’ free kick. With Cole and former Rams’ loanee Tom Carroll over it, the former hit it straight into the hands of Joe Wildsmith stood in the centre of the goal.
Derby took the lead in the 24th minute, Max Bird winning the ball just inside his own half and beating three players. In space on the edge of the D, Bird moved the ball back onto his left foot and drilled a shot low and hard into the bottom left corner.
Gary Caldwell’s side had the chance to equalise in the 33rd minute as Derby switched off from an Exeter throw in. The Grecians worked the ball to Mo Eisa in a tidy passage of play and he played the ball back to Aitchison on the edge of the box, who drilled a low shot towards goal, similarly to how Bird did. Unlike Bird, Aitchison didn’t score, as Derby were saved by the bottom of the right post.
Derby could have doubled their lead just before half time, when Callum Elder had a shot from distance. But Sinsalo pushed it away comfortably to make Warne’s side wait until after the break.
Having had a tight hamstring, Corey Blackett-Taylor was replaced by Tom Barkhuizen at half time. And within seconds of play resuming, what looked like another injury worry as James Collins went down. After some treatment from the medical staff, though, he was okay to continue.
The second goal came in the 52nd minute, Mendez-Laing getting his eighth in the league this season. Max Bird looped the ball up and the number 11 used his pace to beat two Exeter defenders to it and motor into the box. From around 12 yards, Derby’s talisman struck the ball early with the outside of his right foot, and it hit the back of the net.
Ten minutes later, the Guatemalan International would turn provider. Bird flicked the ball to Mendez-Laing, who found Barkhuizen out on the left. The substitute took a couple of touches to cut inside and curl a right footed shot into the bottom corner. A sublime finish.
And it could have, probably should have, been four. Callum Elder won the ball back and worked it down the line to Barkhuizen. Looking to return the favour of the assist for his goal, he hit a long ball forward for Mendez-Laing to chase, but the Guatemalan international made a mess of his shot and booted the ball out of the stadium.
Chelsea loanee Dion Rankine caused Callum Elder a few problems, having come off the bench to play at right wing back for Exeter, and academy graduate Sony Cox had a good chance from inside the six yard box in stoppage time, but after the third goal, it was fairly routine for Derby, who kept a second consecutive clean sheet on the road.
Exeter were very possession focused, making 576 passes compared to Derby’s 247, looking to keep the ball in central areas. Perhaps thinking that Exeter didn’t pose much of an attacking threat, Derby let them keep the ball - Exeter are the third lowest scorers in League One with 25 goals, despite having the seventh highest average possession percentage in the league at 53.3%. But I actually think there was more to it than that.
The pace of Mendez-Laing has so often been a threat to opposition defenders this season, often in the inside left and inside right channels. This was particularly effective against a side who played with wingbacks and a back three who got into advanced positions, leaving space for the Rams to run into on the counter when in possession. Interestingly, out of possession Mendez-Laing would tuck in, looking to force their hosts out wide, which they looked less comfortable doing. This is clearly something that was spotted in opposition analysis prior to the game, causing many of the turnovers when Derby pressed out of possession, and leading to long range chances.
Gary Caldwell's side didn’t play badly, but the Derby staff saw a weakness and exploited it in a way that then allowed the Rams’ players to use their strengths, particularly the right-hand side of Mendez-Laing and Wilson. Other attacks were facilitated by the presence of Ebou Adams in the midfield, who again worked his socks off, pressing and looking to break up play as Exeter looked to put together what were nice passing moves.
Overall, a very good night for Derby. With Portsmouth and Bolton, the other two sides in the top three, also winning, they will need to take the momentum from this performance into Saturday, when they welcome Stevenage to Pride Park.
Exeter: Sinisalo, Aimson (61’ Sweeney), Diabate, Jules, Niskanen (Rankine 61’), Carroll (76’ Woods), Cole (C) (Cox 61’), Harper, Aitchison, Harris (80’ Wildschut), Eisa.
Derby: Wildsmith, Wilson, Nelson, Cashin (88’ Ward), Elder, Bird, Adams (76’ Sibley), Hourihane (C) (72’ Bradley), Mendez-Laing (72’ Smith), Collins, Blackett-Taylor (46’ Barkhuizen).
You can help support this content and put yourself in the running for some great prizes by supporting us on Patreon.
Comments