Derby 1-0 West Brom: Baggies gift wrap three points to Rooney's Rams

2 years ago 21

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Colin Kazim-Richards scored the Derby winner against West Brom just a minute after coming on as a substitute

Wayne Rooney's Derby toppled another of the Championship's top sides as they battled to a hard-fought win over West Bromwich Albion.

Having already seen off Stoke City and Bournemouth on home soil, the up-for-sale Rams again upset the odds to beat the punchless Baggies.

Their sixth league win of the season came thanks to a second-half defensive howler that gifted substitute Colin Kazim-Richards the only goal of the game just a minute after he came on.

Albion, who would have gone second if they had won, also only had themselves to blame after failing to take a string of chances.

But Derby then sealed all three points when Ryan Alsop made a stunning late point-blank save to keep out Kyle Bartley's injury-time header.

Both sides were missing key players as a result of Covid-19 protocol - Graeme Shinnie, Kamil Jozwiak, Phil Jagielka and Tom Lawrence for Derby and Alex Mowatt and top scorer Karlan Grant for Albion.

It was also a meeting of the Championship's second-lowest scorers Derby, who average less than a goal a game, and an Albion side with the unenviable tag of being the second tier's most wasteful finishers - so it was never likely to be a high-scoring game.

But, while Derby's fifth home clean sheet of the season, and second in succession, owed much to veteran centre-backs Richard Stearman and Curtis Davies, it was still a ridiculous winning goal.

In attempting to head the ball back to Sam Johnston, Cedric Kipre had not appreciated until too late that the Albion keeper had left his area and his header rebounded off Johnston into the path of Kazim-Richards, who slotted into an empty net from 20 yards.

Albion had chances either side of the Rams' 58th-minute winner, the best of them falling to Callum Robinson, who fired straight at Alsop, and Jordan Hugill, whose low shot slid wide.

Then, seconds from the final whistle, Alsop stayed alert to keep out Bartley's header and lift Derby to within 14 points of safety - at their halfway point of the season.

Wayne Rooney's Rams have reached halfway in this season's Championship having lost just seven times in 23 matches

Line-ups

Derby

Formation 3-4-3

31Allsop
2Byrne
16StearmanBooked at 50mins
33DaviesBooked at 18mins
36EboseleSubstituted forCashinat 87'minutesBooked at 90mins
42ThompsonBooked at 20mins
8Bird
3Forsyth
38Knight
48PlangeSubstituted forKazim-Richardsat 57'minutes
9BaldockSubstituted forMorrisonat 57'minutes

Substitutes

1Marshall
11Morrison
13Kazim-Richards
17Sibley
35Watson
41Cashin
43Williams

West Brom

Formation 3-4-3

1Johnstone
21Kipré
5Bartley
16ClarkeBooked at 36mins
2FurlongSubstituted forGardner-Hickmanat 76'minutes
8Livermore
14Molumby
3Townsend
11DianganaSubstituted forHugillat 63'minutes
7Robinson
20ReachSubstituted forFellowsat 62'minutes

Substitutes

6Ajayi
17Hugill
25Button
28Tulloch
29Gardner-Hickman
35Ashworth
41Fellows

Referee:James Linington

Attendance:24,846

Live Text

Match ends, Derby County 1, West Bromwich Albion 0.
Second Half ends, Derby County 1, West Bromwich Albion 0.
Eiran Cashin (Derby County) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Corner, West Bromwich Albion. Conceded by Ryan Allsop.
Attempt saved. Kyle Bartley (West Bromwich Albion) header from the right side of the six yard box is saved in the top centre of the goal. Assisted by Callum Robinson with a cross.
Attempt missed. Jordan Hugill (West Bromwich Albion) header from the centre of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Conor Townsend with a cross.
Attempt blocked. Callum Robinson (West Bromwich Albion) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Jordan Hugill.
Kyle Bartley (West Bromwich Albion) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Colin Kazim-Richards (Derby County).
Substitution, Derby County. Eiran Cashin replaces Festy Ebosele.
Matthew Clarke (West Bromwich Albion) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Colin Kazim-Richards (Derby County).
Attempt missed. Jake Livermore (West Bromwich Albion) right footed shot from outside the box is too high. Assisted by Conor Townsend with a headed pass.
Attempt missed. Jordan Hugill (West Bromwich Albion) left footed shot from the centre of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Tom Fellows with a cross.
Attempt missed. Matthew Clarke (West Bromwich Albion) header from the centre of the box is too high. Assisted by Cédric Kipré with a cross.
Callum Robinson (West Bromwich Albion) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Nathan Byrne (Derby County).
Substitution, West Bromwich Albion. Taylor Gardner-Hickman replaces Darnell Furlong.
Foul by Jordan Hugill (West Bromwich Albion).
Curtis Davies (Derby County) wins a free kick in the defensive half.