Rams get to grips after a torrid first half
DERBY County fought back from two down to take a point off promotion-chasers Brentford.
Brentford bossed the first half of the Championship clash at Pride Park Stadium and they were a class above the Rams.
Ivan Toney converted a penalty before Sergi Canos doubled the visitors’ lead.
As poor as Derby were in the first half, they were excellent in the second half, helped by a raft of substitutions and a switch of formation.
And two of the subs, Lee Gregory and Louie Sibley, grabbed the goals in a 2-2 draw.
The point means the cushion between the Rams and the bottom three is now eight.
There were four changes to the team. Andre Wisdom returned and in came Lee Buchanan, Max Bird and Louie Watson. It was Watson’s first senior start and the 19-year-old midfielder had previously impressed when he came off the bench in recent matches.
Out went George Edmundson,
Teden Mengi, Craig Forsyth and Martyn Waghorn, while Tom Lawrence was back in the squad for the first time in three months. The Wales international, who had been out since December with an ankle injury, was among the substitutes.
Brentford went into the contest having won three of their previous four games.
Watson was on the left of a narrow three behind Colin Kazim-Richards as Derby went with the 4-2-3-1 shape but Brentford needed only eight minutes to go ahead.
Wisdom gave the ball away on the right, Brentford worked it to Ivan Toney whose pass picked out Bryan Mbeumo’s dart into the area and he was bundled over by Lee Buchanan, who was caught the wrong side of his man. It was a clear penalty and Toney coolly sent Kelle Roos the wrong way from the spot for his 27th goal of the season.
A perfect start for the visitors and they should have doubled their lead when Mbeumo went clear in the area only to drag his shot wide with only Roos to beat. A huge let-off for Derby.
Back came Brentford as the Rams struggled to get a foothold in the game and Toney’s dipping volley was kept out by Roos before Mbeumo’s follow-up was blocked.
But the Bees did not have to wait long to sting Derby again.
A brilliant move involving Toney and Mbeumo sliced through Derby and Sergi Canos drove a low shot past Roos to double the lead after 23 minutes.
Derby huffed and puffed but that is not enough and Brentford were more comfortable throughout the opening 45 minutes than the scoreline at the break suggested.
Their movement on and off the ball was superior, their cutting edge sharper and threat greater. Derby needed a big improvement in the second half.
They also needed to change things and they did.
Wayne Rooney made three substitutions – Gregory, Sibley and Mengi for Watson, Jozwiak and Bird – and it paid off immediately.
Two minutes into the half, Nathan Byrne whipped in an inviting low centre and there was Gregory to finish from close range to reduce the deficit.
Mengi’s introduction saw Derby go to a back three with Byrne and Buchanan as wing-backs, and the injection of fresh legs, purpose and more aggression in their football unsettled Brentford. The pattern of the game had changed and Brentford now knew they were in a match.
Sibley added a spark playing just off the front two, although KazimRichards had to hobble off with an injury and Lawrence came on.
Whether finding pockets of space or running at opponents, Sibley asked Brentford all sorts of questions and he earned a point with a wonderful goal three minutes from time, curling the ball from the edge of the area and high beyond David Raya’s dive.
It was a great goal and capped a vastly improved showing from Derby in the second half.