Rams can’t keep hoping that rivals slip up in race for the top spots
DERBY County blew a lead for the second time in four days as they lost at home to relegation-threatened Charlton Athletic, giving their automatic promotion hopes in League One a setback.
The Rams had made a decent enough start as they looked to pen Charlton in their own half but chances were few and far between in a tense opening 20 minutes.
Korey Smith did try his luck from the edge of the box after a decent move but he could not find the power or accuracy to trouble Harry Isted.
Charlton were struggling to create chances, although they did burst into life when Panutche Camara had sight of goal 20 yards out but dragged his shot wide.
Derby kept plugging away in a bid to create opportunities but it was a set-piece that handed them the breakthrough before half-time when Nathaniel Mendez-Laing’s corner was met with an emphatic header by Eiran Cashin.
Charlton came out fighting after the break and nearly levelled when Chuks Aneke, on as a substitute, clattered the bar with a header.
Moments later, they were level when a ball down the side and into the area for Daniel Kanu tempted goalkeeper Joe Wildsmith to come off his line and commit a foul.
The referee had no option but to point to the spot and that allowed Alfie May to bury the penalty.
And with 10 minutes remaining, Charlton were ahead when a mistake by Ebou Adams was pounced upon, with Wildsmith making a fine save from Kanu but there was Karoy Anderson to smash in on the followup.
Here are some of the night’s talking points.
Derby got lucky again with Bolton result
The worst aspect of a dreadful second-half performance was that Charlton didn’t exactly have to work hard for their first win of 2024.
One mistake from Wildsmith, more of which later, and another cardinal sin of Derby playing square across midfield was all it took to turn this game on its head.
It may have been a bit more palatable if Charlton had suddenly come out and played like a budget version of Manchester City after half-time, but they didn’t.
They simply reduced the game to a base level. Turn the defence, win second balls, and try to force errors. It might have been pragmatic football but it was effective and was enough to capitalise on three major Derby afflictions: a lack of control, an absence of game management and, most crucially, no leadership. Of more growing concern is that since James Collins has been ruled out through injury, the centre-backs have offered more of a threat than the front players in the final third, which is something that needs addressing.
Charlton manager Nathan Jones looked very pleased with himself afterwards and understandably so.
He exchanged a few words with some Derby fans on his way towards the players’ tunnel at full-time and was clearly pumped from what was a big win in their battle to beat the drop.
The only saving grace of a poor night for Derby was that Bolton Wanderers lost away to Wigan Athletic meaning, somehow, they still cling on to second spot.
They have got lucky with results elsewhere in recent weeks but Derby can’t keep relying on Ian Evatt’s side chucking points away or hoping that Barnsley have a wobble here or there.
They’ve got to put a stop to it and it has to start with Port Vale on Saturday.
It can’t just be Mendez-Laing
Nathaniel Mendez-Laing has been incredible this season and will undoubtedly contest for the player of the season award come the end of the campaign.
We’ve often said that when he plays well, Derby invariably do too.
But it was hard not to feel some sympathy for him last night, given it wasn’t his greatest performance by any stretch of the imagination in terms of open play.
And yet he still managed to come away with an assist for Eiran Cashin’s goal in the first half with a superb corner to the near post.
We have to accept that he isn’t superhuman and his perfomance levels will dip for a game here or there.
It is imperative in those moments that others step up.
And the brutal reality was that nobody could free him of the pressure of being Derby’s go to man in open play.
It can’t just be him all the time and others have to take responsibility.
Charlton didn’t exactly have to work hard for their first win of 2024
Subs didn’t work
Paul Warne has never been afraid to make changes in terms of substi
tutions but the ones who came against Charlton barely had an impact.
Tom Barkhuizen didn’t lay a glove on the Charlton defence, Louie Sibley skied an effort into the South Stand and Martyn Waghorn, as good as it was to see him back, still looks short of match sharpness.
Corey Blackett-Taylor entered the fray with five minutes remaining of normal time but still seems to be finding his feet after his move from Charlton back in January.
All you ask from your substitutes is that they make some kind of impact on the game.
But sadly none of them made Charlton sweat. In fact the biggest blow to Derby was when Korey Smith had to come off.
That was a substitution forced due to his spent energy levels due to his lack of first-team minutes.
As soon as he went off, Derby’s midfield just lacked cohesion and Charlton profited from it.
Wildsmith’s rash decision
It would be unfair to lay this defeat solely on Wildsmith’s shoulders because there was still enough time for Derby to have won the game after he conceded the penalty in the second half.
But there can be no dispute it was a catalyst for Charlton who, up until that point in the game, had offered very little in attack.
It is not the first time that Derby’s goalkeeper has had a rush of blood this season, as he committed exactly the same offence against Oxford United when Derby won 3-2.
Warne said the former Sheffield Wednesday stopper had held his hands up in the dressing room and, when he looks back, he will know that he should have just stayed where he was.
If Daniel Kanu had been able to beat him from his position in the area, then you hold your hands up and say “fair play.”
It would have had to be a hell of a finish to score from that angle.
Unfortunately, Wildsmith got caught up in the moment but there were still enough minutes left for Derby to get their act together.