When it rains, it pours. After Paul Warne was booed off at the weekend with The Rams having lost their last five games, on Monday came news that defensive stalwart Curtis Nelson’s season is over.
With Nat Phillips still out, and the “categorically” not for sale Eiran Cashin not risked after returning from injury against Watford, Derby had a back three without an out-and-out centre back.
What better time for promotion-chasing Sunderland to come to town as The Rams chased their first points of 2025?
Derby’s makeshift defence took a few minutes to find their positions, with the shape initially looking like a 4-3-3, Kayden Jackson a little higher up, and Callum Elder narrower before The Rams settled into a 3-5-2, with Kane Wilson and Jackson at left and right wing back respectively, while Elder was in a back three with Craig Forsyth and Ebou Adams. They held firm for the opening 25 minutes.
Sunderland had the first chance of the game, Enzo Le Fée cutting it back for Dennis Cirkin who fired over the bar at the near post. Cirkin soon looked to get in behind Adams, but the Gambian pressure the left back into putting his cross behind for a goal kick.
In the 21st minute, Regis Le Bris’ side broke, but Jacob Widell Zetterström palmed away the swerving 25-yard shot of Wilson Isidor, who had two penalties saved at Burnley last time out.
But the visitors would take the lead in the 28th minute through Eliezer Mayenda. After Wilson dispossessed him, Chris Rigg won the ball back and found Jobe Bellingham in the middle. He played a pass to the right-hand side of the box, which took a deflection off Elder to reach the Spaniard, who finished low across goal, through the legs of Zetterström.
Now in front, Sunderland began to assert their dominance. New signing Enzo Le Fée was showing off his silky dribbling at the byline to cut the ball back, before he curled a free kick over the Derby wall from 25 yards, forcing The Rams’ number one to spring into action at his far post.
Isidor nearly scored a goal of the season contender 11 minutes into the second half. Following a Derby corner, the Frenchman dribbled from the edge of his own box to the edge of Derby’s six-yard box, where he was denied by a good challenge from Kenzo Goudmijn
Two minutes later, Paul Warne made a triple change, which would rejuvenate The Rams. Norwegian striker Lars-Jørgen Salvesen came on for his debut alongside Ben Osborn and Corey Blackett-Taylor, linking up brilliantly with the latter, who clearly benefitted from having the tall forward to aim for.
After using his pace to go round the outside on the left flank, Blackett-Taylor twice found Salvesen at the far post, who was twice denied by flying saves from Anthony Patterson.
In what was by far Derby’s best period of the game, Goudmijn also saw a shot sail over the bar from a Blackett-Taylor delivery, and the hosts piled on the pressure with a flurry of corners.
Back on his favoured right flank following Blackett-Taylor’s introduction, Kane Wilson won yet another corner for Derby in the 70th minute but picked up what appeared to be a hamstring injury in the process which ended his night early and added to his side's fitness woes.
Sunderland thought they had a second with thirteen minutes to play. Bellingham launching a pass over the top for Le Fée. He flicked it back to Isidor, who smashed the ball in off the bar. The goal was initially given before being bafflingly disallowed.
A couple more chances fell Sunderland’s way, while The Rams continued to probe. But they had to finish the game with ten players, substitute Dajaune Brown going off with a hamstring issue also, after Warne had used his five substitutions.
Analysis: Big positives and serious fitness concerns
Spirited is probably the best word to describe that Derby performance. This was not a game in which The Rams disgraced themselves or even underperformed given the circumstances. Facing a side well and truly in the race for automatic promotion was always likely to be an uphill struggle, but Derby remained fairly composed at the back throughout.
But while it's hard to fault the players who stepped into the backline for their efforts, questions about the cause of the injury crisis are unsurprisingly being asked. Is it simply a case of bad luck? Are players trained too hard? Is it the energy-intensive style of play? Or could there be a problem with conditioning? I’m not going to pretend to be an expert, and even most who are will not know the ins and outs of going on at a specific club.
What is clear however, is that a squad that was already in need of reinforcements is looking increasingly decimated. As well as the situation at the back, Brown’s injury, as well as the departure of James Collins to Lincoln City leaves Derby with just two number nines fit enough to feature – and even then Salvesen is still some way off being able to play a full 90 minutes.
But the Norwegian showed exactly why Paul Warne has been so desperate for a target man, bringing the best out of the attackers around him on the pitch. Blackett-Taylor has surely done enough for a place in the starting XI for Saturday’s relegation six-pointer at Cardiff, who now sit a point above The Rams after a late draw at Millwall.
Derby remain just a point above the drop zone, and will have to hope that not only can Salvesen build on his debut, but that additions made before the transfer deadline will be similarly well-profiled.
Derby (3-5-2): Zetterström (GK); Adams, Forsyth, Elder; Jackson (Blackett-Taylor 58’), Thompson (Osborn 58’), Goudmijn, Harness, Wilson (Barkhuizen 72’); Mendez-Laing (C) (Salvesen 58’); Yates (Brown 72’).
Substitutes not used: Vickers (GK), Rooney, Ward, Turley.
Sunderland: (4-4-2): Patterson (GK); Hume, Mepham, O’Nein, Cirkin (Ballard 74’); Rigg (Abdul Samed 86’), Neil (C), Jobe, Le Fée (Hjelde 89’); Mayenda (Roberts 74’), Isidor.
Substitutes not used: Moore (GK), Aouchiche, Aleksić, Ogunsuyi, Jones.
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