‘Twas the night before Christmas when West Brom were delivered a crushing blow: Carlos Corberán had just made “the hardest decision of my life” and left The Hawthorns for his hometown club Valencia.
A difficult backdrop for the visitors. But as home fans descended on Pride Park for a Boxing Day fixture for the first time in nine years, they hoped their side would bounce back from Friday’s smash-and-grab defeat at Luton.
Derby’s biggest home crowd since March watched West Brom hit the post twice, while the hosts took their chances in key moments to pile more misery on the Baggies at the supposed happiest time of the year.
Paul Warne’s side featured two changes, Ben Osborn missing out through injury and Sonny Bradley dropping to the bench as the Rams attacked from the off in a front-footed 4-2-3-1.
And they nearly led inside three minutes when Kane Wilson whipped a low cross in towards Jerry Yates, but last season’s Championship Golder Glove winner Alex Palmer made himself big to block the shot.
Wilson continued to cause the Baggies problems and prompted calls for a penalty when he went down under a challenge from Kyle Bartley. But these were waved away by Australian referee Jarred Gillett.
There was a let off for the visitors when Bartley headed Callum Elder’s pass straight to Nathaniel Mendez-Laing, only for the Rams’ skipper to slice it off target. But Chris Brunt’s side were now firmly on top, and after weathering a storm for the first 15 minutes, they were making Derby do the same.
Darnell Furlong was the width of the goalpost away from putting West Brom in front in the 25th minute, clipping the woodwork of Jacob Widell Zetterström’s goal from 25 yards.
The post was Derby’s friend once more when they took the lead three minutes later.
Jerry Yates dropped deep and moved the ball left to Mendez-Laing. As the skipper found Kenzo Goudmijn, Yates burst back into the box and received the Dutchman’s exquisite pass, before holding off two defenders and finishing deftly, in off the far post.
It summed up the best of his abilities: dropping deep to hold the ball up and help create before busting a gut to pick up a good position and find the back of the net.
Yates forced another good save when he flicked Elder’s free kick goalwards for Derby, while John Swift also hit the post from a free kick just before half-time, at which Derby deservedly led.
Callum Elder did well to charge down Tom Fellows’ shot before Kenzo Goudmijn curled his effort wide from 25 yards.
After the hour mark, Michael Johnston’s effort cannoned off a Derby man before Zetterström pulled off a great save to stop Alex Mowatt’s follow-up from range.
Like their first, Derby’s second came while West Brom were in the ascendency. They won it back high up the pitch and worked it into the box, from where Kayden Jackson’s ball across goal deflected in off Mason Holgate.
The Baggies pulled one back with nine minutes to play, Tom Fellows whipped the ball to the back post, where Grady Diangana headed home at the back post.
The substitute was a constant threat in the closing stages, dribbling past Nelson at the byline to find Grant who was denied by Zetterström from close range, but the Rams saw out a second home win in a row.
Analysis: Key players nullified
Believe it or not, that was Derby’s 23rd league game of the season, and at the halfway stage of the Rams’ first season back in the Championship, they sit 14th, eight points clear of the relegation zone, with 27 points.
Of those 27 points, these three feel pretty important going into a tough run of home games. In fact, eight of the current top 10 are still to visit Pride Park. With this performance proving that the 4-0 win over Portsmouth was no fluke, Derby can go into most of these games feeling as though they can get something.
It feels as though Derby are improving week-on-week at the minute, their passing crisper and more fluid than at the start of the season. A slight change of shape, with Ebou Adams returning to the deeper ball-winning role he was so impressive in last season, while Marcus Harness occupied the 10 role, but was not afraid to drop deep, allowing Kenzo Goudmijn’s range of passing to shine. The fact that Warne has been able to maintain a good midfield balance without Osborn, who had really come into form in a deeper role, is encouraging given his fitness struggles.
What this has done is allow Derby’s wing backs to become key attacking threats, as Kane Wilson demonstrated in the opening stages. But also impressive was the work rate of Derby’s wingers who nearly always came back to double up on the Baggies’ wide men. This is where the game was won.
As was mentioned on this week’s podcast, West Brom are a good side, but a lot of their attacking play consists simply of Tom Fellows (who has the joint-most assists in the Championship this season) looking for Josh Maja (second-top scorer in the Championship this season). By doubling up on Fellows, Derby removed a lot of the threat both players posed, though Nat Phillips and Curtis Nelson must also be given credit for their defending with Maja was limit to just three touches in the Derby box.
It was a good day at the office for the Rams, repaying head coach Paul Warne with a hard-working performance after being given Christmas day off. They will need to carry the momentum from back-to-back home wins into Sunday if they are to get revenge against Leeds.
Derby (4-2-3-1): Zetterström (GK); Wilson, Nelson, Phillips, Elder (Bradley 84’); Goudmijn, Adams; Jackson (Chirewa 71’), Harness, Mendez-Laing (C) (Forsyth 72’); Yates (Brown 90+2’).
Substitutes not used: Vickers (GK), Barkhuizen, Collins, Ward, Blackett-Taylor.
West Brom (4-2-3-1): Palmer (GK); Furlong, Bartley (C), Holgate (Styles 75’), Heggem; Mowatt, Račić (Molumby 46’); Fellows, Swift (Diangana 69’), Johnston (Grant 69’); Maja.
Substitutes not used: Wildsmith, Frabotta, Diakite, Wallace, Cole.
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