CLINICAL ROYALS ON THE RAMPAGE
Derby struck by Keogh’s injury
DERBY’S seven-game unbeaten run came to an abrupt end as Reading ran riot at Pride Park, and visiting boss Jaap Stam admitted the winning margin should have been even bigger.
Liam Moore, Sone Aluko, Roy Beerens and Modou Barrow all netted for the visitors, with Johnny Russell and David Nugent grabbing consolation goals for Derby.
And Stam claimed the result stemmed from his side never losing confidence in their attacking play, even when results this season have gone against them.
“We played very well, we attacked very well, we defended very well – though it could have been better – and we should have scored more goals as well,” he said.
“Everybody looks at the table, and if you’re not winning games everybody thinks you probably didn’t play well which wasn’t the case with us.
“Individual mistakes cost us, but we still played very well in possession. We knew what we could do and we were very confident.
“Then of course you need to be clinical in your finishing as well, and we were, unlike in some other games where we weren’t clinical enough.”
Derby lost captain Richard Keogh to injury after just eight minutes and less than 60 seconds later they were already missing his presence as Reading broke the deadlock.
John Swift whipped in a right-footed free-kick from the left wing and, after Paul McShane’s flick-on, Moore powered in a bullet header at the back post.
Aluko made it two in the 13th minute with a superb individual goal, dancing past two defenders with some clever footwork before unleashing a fierce strike into the far corner.
Derby were better after the break and David Nugent headed wide in the 48th minute before Tom Lawrence’s halfvolley drew a smart, low save from Vito Mannone four minutes later.
Their bright start was completely undone by Curtis Davies’s suicidal backpass across the Rams’ area on 54 minutes, however, gifting Beerens the chance to round Scott Carson and tap in.
Barrow had two chances to extend the lead in quick succession, racing onto Roy Beerens’ crosses on the hour and again two minutes later as Reading counter-attacked, but squandered both opportunities.
And Reading gifted Derby a foothold in the game on 71 minutes when Mannone gave the ball away and Bradley Johnson squared for Russell to tap in.
But any hopes of a comeback were extinguished just four minutes later when Beerens released David Edwards and Barrow scored at the back post.
Martin slid in to convert Andre Wisdom’s right-wing cross in the 90th minute for another Derby consolation but manager Gary Rowett admitted his side had been second best.
“We looked really slow to react to things and very low in energy,” he said.
“Reading are a good side and can pass the ball around but I didn’t think that was the catalyst for them being able to do it so easily.
“We just didn’t get close enough all over the pitch and it almost took us going two-nil down to start to run around.
“We never kept the game tight enough to give ourselves an opportunity. Ultimately we didn’t defend well enough as a team.”