GREGORY’S GOAL SWEET FOR ROO!
Tactical change pays off
WAYNE ROONEY’S decision to switch to two strikers paid dividends with victory over Middlesbrough.
Lee Gregory scored on his home debut and set up the second for strike partner Colin Kazim-Richards.
Rooney said: “It was a big win for us, coming off defeat in our previous game. We felt it was better to go two strikers and go a bit more direct and I thought we did that really well.
“Second half, certainly in the last 10 minutes, we gave away some sloppy freekicks and we need to get better. It cost us against Sheffield Wednesday and cost us against Rotherham, so our game management in those situations needs to be better.
“It’s pleasing to get the two strikers on the scoresheet.”
Rooney was looking for a response after Derby’s late collapse at Rotherham and he got it when his team went ahead in the 15th minute.
Middlesbrough were taken by surprise when Martyn Waghorn swung a corner beyond the back post where Lee Buchanan headed it across for Gregory to head past Marcus Bettinelli.
Gregory was close to adding a second in the 24th minute when he glanced a header narrowly wide with Boro struggling to make an impact.
Sam Morsy tried to fire the visitors up with a shot from just outside the box that fizzed over David Marshall’s crossbar, but Derby struck again in stunning fashion in the 32nd minute. The ball was played quickly up the right and Gregory laid it off to Kazim-Richards, who thumped a 25-yard shot that went in off the underside of the bar.
But the striker was at fault six minutes later when he lost the ball to Marc Bola who surged into the box and when Derby failed to deal with his cross, Neeskens Kebano drove the loose ball past Marshall.
It had given Boro hope for the second half, but it was Derby who threatened after the break with Gregory crossing to Kazim-Richards who headed over from 12 yards.
Duncan Watmore raced onto a long ball, but could not pick out a red shirt and Anfernee Dijksteel was shown a yellow card when he brought down Kamil Jozwiak before he could break into the box.
Derby were being pushed back, but they almost caught Boro on the break in the 72nd minute until Jozwiak stumbled on the edge of the area.
The home side were defending well and, for all their possession, Boro had not created a clear chance since Kebano’s goal. That changed in the 87th minute when a cross from the left dropped to Nathaniel Mendez-Laing 10 yards out but his low shot was blocked.
There was a scare for Derby in stoppage time when Bola swerved past two defenders before going over, but his penalty claims were dismissed and that was Boro’s last chance.
Boro manager Neil Warnock admitted a lack of a cutting edge is blunting their play-off challenge. He said: “It’s disappointing resultwise, but once again I didn’t think we were a threat. Since I’ve been here – well, in fact, for the last few years really – there’s not been enough threat up front.”