Derby got a crucial week off to a good start with a battling win over Reading, who ended the game with ten players.
After a comfortable 3-0 win over Bristol Rovers at the weekend, Paul Warne named an unchanged starting eleven, with a welcome return to the bench for Craig Forsyth, who had missed the previous twelve games through injury.
For visitors Reading, who are in turmoil off the pitch, they were looking to pull away from the relegation zone. The Royals would have to play without goalkeeper David Button, who was out injured, with former Manchester United youngster Joel Pereira making his first league appearance for the Berkshire side.
The Rams started well, combining intricate passing moves, deft touches and overloads with balls in behind for attackers to chase.
In the first minute, Conor Hourihane whipped a great ball into the six-yard box having drifted out to the left flank. But Dwight Gayle couldn’t quite reach it. A few minutes later, Nathaniel Mendez-Laing, made a deep run through the middle of the pitch and found Louie Sibley, who had made a great run down the left flank. He would have a great chance from the left-hand side of the box but sliced it over the bar.
In the tenth minute, whilst chasing after a brilliant ball from Ebou Adams, Dwight Gayle was taken down outside the box by Tyler Bindon. The defender was shown a yellow card, and Derby had a free kick, 25 yards out, just a little to the right. Ward struck it well, low and round the wall, Pereira making the save at full stretch. But he crashed into the post in the process, requiring treatment, after which Reading had their best spell of the half, registering their only shot of the first half when Lewis Wing had a go from 30 yards.
After another break in play in the 22nd minute, so that Ebou Adams could break his fast for Ramadan, Paul Warne’s side were back in control.
Just after the half hour mark, Dwight Gayle played a neat one-two with Tom Barkhuizen before testing Pereira from the edge of the box. Eiran Cashin was next to go close, his header crashing against the far post after Hourihane’s delightful out-swinging free kick.
Sonny Bradley looped a header over the bar in stoppage time, but it was be goalless at the break.
Derby continued to knock on the door at the start of the second half, Gayle’s header deflecting over the bar off a Reading player before Nelson’s effort ended up hitting the side netting off another defender.
The goal came in the 53rd minute, Dwight Gayle scoring his third goal in as many games. The former Newcastle striker controlled Joe Ward’s free kick, whipped in from the right, with an exquisite touch before rifling the ball into the roof of the net.
But the lead wouldn’t last long, Sam Smith equalising within three minutes. Femi Azeez beat Sibley down the right and put a cross into the box. Sonny Bradley lost Smith, whose header looped into the bottom right corner.
Reading were dealt a blow in the 59th minute, when skipper Andy Yiadom was shown a second yellow card. He was deemed to have brought Conor Hourihane down on the edge of the box, even though there wasn’t much, if any, contact.
Charles Breakspear awarded Derby a penalty in the 68th minute. Pereira came out of his goal and took down Dwight Gayle, who had been chasing a fabulous ball forward by Adams from deep inside his own half. There were more questions though, as an angry Pereira claimed that Gayle handled the ball.
Regardless, Conor Hourihane stepped up and coolly slotted the ball in, sending Pereira the wrong way to restore Derby’s lead before being one of four Rams who were substituted at once.
Harvey Knibbs fired wide from a decent position with seven minutes to play in what was Reading’s best chance to equalise.
And Martyn Waghorn failed to convert Tom Barkhuizen’s square pass in stoppage time, shooting straight at the goalkeeper.
Analysis: A win is a win.
At half time, parallels could be drawn with Saturday’s victory at the Memorial Stadium. Derby had once again been in control of the game but lacked a cutting edge in front of goal. Similar parallels could not be drawn between the second half performances.
Whilst, just as in Bristol, Dwight Gayle opened the scoring. Reading’s swift response saw Derby get dragged into what became a tense affair. Sonny Bradley could have done better for Smith’s goal, but was playing through illness, in fairness.
Charles Breakspear, in my opinion, got the decision to send Yiadom off wrong, and in that sense, as Paul Warne admitted to BBC Radio Derby, his side “rode their luck”. Whilst it took a composed spot-kick from Conor Hourihane to get the Rams over the line, they deserved the win on the balance of play, having been in control for much of the match.
Derby combined intricate passing moves, deft touches and overloads with balls in behind for attackers to chase in their best spells. I, and practically everyone else on X (the platform formerly known as Twitter) have been praising his off the ball abilities and how he has enabled whoever is playing alongside him to be more creative, but he’s also displayed a great range of passing in the last couple of games at Pride Park.
Speaking to BBC Radio Derby after the match, Dwight Gayle said that he is now “enjoying [his] football.” He has improved Derby’s entire attack, the frontline clicking again despite the absence of top scorer James Collins. Tom Barkhuizen has come into form, whilst Mendez-Laing has continued his superb season after filling in as a makeshift number nine.
With eight big games to go, the Rams are next tasked with the visit of Bolton on Saturday, in what is surely the biggest game of their season so far. It could well be these two late additions in Gayle and Adams that help get Derby over the line.
Derby (3-4-3): Wildsmith (GK), Nelson, Bradley (Wilson 72’), Cashin, Ward (Blackett-Taylor 72’), Adams, Hourihane (C) (Smith 72’), Sibley, Mendez-Laing (Forsyth 83’), Gayle (Waghorn 72’), Barkhuizen.
Substitutes not used: Loach (GK), Thompson.
Reading (4-2-3-1): Pereira (GK), Yiadom (C), Mbengue, Bindon, Mola (Abrefa 82’), Wing, Savage, Azeez (Dorsett 63’), Knibbs (Mukairu 89’), Elliott (Wareham 82’), Smith (Ehibhatiomhan 81’).
Substitutes not used: Boyce-Clarke (GK), Rushesha.
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