Derby County Vs Blackburn Rovers: Rams bounce back after successive defeats
In a weekend fixture billed as derby county vs blackburn rovers, Derby County overturned a first-half deficit to beat Blackburn Rovers 3-1 at Pride Park Stadium, a win that rekindles the Rams' play-off push after three defeats in their previous four games. Attendance was 27, 831.
Derby County Vs Blackburn Rovers
Hayden Carter headed Blackburn into the lead from a Yuri Ribeiro free-kick in first-half stoppage time, his first goal since May 2023, after Lewis Travers conceded what was described as a "stupid" free-kick outside his own box on the left. Derby equalised in the 55th minute when Derry John Murkin pulled the ball back for Ben Brereton Diaz, who took a touch before firing home what was his fifth Rams goal of the season. Matt Clarke put Derby ahead when Eiran Cashin was at fault and Sammie Szmodics pulled Rhian Brewster's cross back across goal for Clarke to score his second of the season. Brewster sealed the victory eight minutes from time, heading home Murkin's left-wing cross from close range.
How the goals unfolded
Ben Brereton Diaz had threatened early, seeing a low shot tipped away by Balazs Toth before Toth denied Patrick Agyemang from a narrow angle on the left. Blackburn also created chances: Yuki Ohashi turned Matt Clarke in the box only to drag his shot across goal, and Yuri Ribeiro had an effort saved by Derby goalkeeper Josh Vickers in the 40th minute. Vickers could not keep out Ribeiro's free-kick at the end of the half, which found Carter to head into the far corner. Just after the break a free-kick dropped to Andri Gudjohnsen, who chested the ball down and then pulled his shot wide.
Tackles, bookings and a flashpoint
The match featured a flashpoint in the 34th minute when Sam Szmodics reacted angrily to a tackle by Adam Forshaw; several players got involved and both were booked by referee Leigh Doughty. Carlton Morris made his first Derby start since November, while Ribeiro was making his first start since December. Those team changes and the confrontations fed into a second half dominated by Derby's momentum.
Experience gap and team figures
John Eustace masterminded his third win over his old club in just under a year, a result that compounds Rovers' relegation worries and highlights the challenge facing Michael O'Neill, who has now lost his past two games despite Blackburn taking the lead, after winning his opening two matches. The two match reports noted a gulf in experience at Pride Park: Derby's Ben Brereton Diaz, Sammie Szmodics, Lewis Travers and Dion Sanderson had made a total of 544 Blackburn appearances and scored 97 goals between them, while O'Neill's Blackburn starting XI had a combined 408 appearances and 33 goals for Rovers.
Moments that mattered
Key saves and missed chances shaped the game: Toth saved Brereton Diaz's early effort and then denied Agyemang; Vickers blocked Ribeiro in the first half before being beaten by Carter's header; and Gudjohnsen's missed opportunity early in the second half kept Derby in the contest. Murkin supplied two assists, including the cross that Brewster headed in from six yards, with Sky Sports calling that his second assist of the match.
Derby's win not only hauled them back into contention for the play-offs after losing three of their previous four matches, it also extended John Eustace's personal run against Blackburn. Eustace told Radio Derby: "To get to this points tally with 11 games to go, I think it's a great achievement from where we were. It's been a lot of hard work to get to this point, but the season's certainly not over. Now, we've got to really enjoy the next 11 games and see how far we can go. "
Derby now move on to their next scheduled fixtures, while Blackburn must address defensive lapses that allowed three second-half goals; unclear in the provided context is the exact date of either side's next match.
