Derby County Vs Blackburn Rovers: Rams bounce back with 3-1 second-half fightback

Derby County Vs Blackburn Rovers ended 3-1 at Pride Park as the Rams overturned a first-half deficit to score three second-half goals, a victory that rekindles Derby's play-off push and deepens Blackburn's relegation concerns.

Derby County Vs Blackburn Rovers: Match summary

Hayden Carter headed Blackburn in front from a Yuri Ribeiro delivery on the stroke of half-time, giving the visitors a 1-0 lead. Derby responded after the break: Ben Brereton Diaz equalised in the 55th minute, Matt Clarke put Derby in front later in the second half and Rhian Brewster sealed the win with a close-range header eight minutes from time. The comeback yielded a 3-1 final score in Derby's favour.

Second-half turnaround and key moments

The decisive phase came after half-time. Ben Brereton Diaz finished a well-worked move after Derry John Murkin pulled the ball back for him; that strike was Brereton Diaz's fifth Rams goal of the season. Matt Clarke then took advantage of tentative defending to score his second goal of the season following a Sam Szmodics delivery, and Murkin later supplied the cross that Brewster headed home from close range to secure victory.

Turning points, chances and discipline

Earlier moments that shaped the match included Balazs Toth saving a low Brereton Diaz shot and denying Patrick Agyemang from a narrow angle. Derby keeper Josh Vickers made a key save from Yuri Ribeiro in the first half. Andri Gudjohnsen had an early second-half chance but blasted wide. There was a flashpoint in the 34th minute after a tackle by Adam Forshaw on Sam Szmodics; several players were involved and both Szmodics and Forshaw were booked by referee Leigh Doughty.

Team news and confirmed line-ups (12. 30pm kick-off, Pride Park Stadium)

Derby made three changes from the side that lost in midweek. Carlton Morris returned to the starting XI at Pride Park for the first time since November after making three recent substitute appearances as he returned from a long-term injury. Joe Ward came into defence to make his 27th league appearance of the season, and Dion Sanderson returned to the starting picture after being rested in midweek. Lewis Travis captained the Rams while Sam Szmodics made his fourth outing for the club.

• Derby County: Vickers (GK), Murkin, Clarke, Agyemang, Morris, Szmodics, Ward, Brereton Díaz, Travis (C), Sanderson, Clark.
• Derby substitutes: O’Donnell (GK), Forsyth, Brewster, Ozoh, Fraulo, Banel, Eames, I Gordon, Allen.
• Blackburn Rovers: Tóth (GK), Alebiosu, Ribeiro, Guðjohnsen, McLoughlin (C), Carter, Cashin, Ōhashi, Baradji, Morishita, Forshaw.
• Blackburn substitutes: Michalski (GK), Pickering, Gardner-Hickman, De Neve, Afolayan, O’Riordan, Jørgensen, Montgomery, Atcheson.

Wider implications and context

The win was the third Derby boss John Eustace has secured over Blackburn in just under a year, a run that compounds Rovers' relegation worries and highlights the challenge facing Blackburn manager Michael O'Neill, who has now lost his past two games despite taking the lead, after winning his opening two matches. The gulf in experience on the day was noted in the match build-up: Derby's Ben Brereton Diaz, Sam Szmodics, Lewis Travers and Dion Sanderson were credited with a combined total of 544 Blackburn appearances and 97 goals between them, while O'Neill's Blackburn starting XI had a combined 408 appearances and 33 goals for Rovers.

Post-match reaction and what comes next

Derby boss John Eustace reflected on the club's progress and remaining fixtures, saying: "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's rousing victory restored momentum after they had lost three of their previous four games, while Blackburn must address defensive lapses and the psychological blow of surrendering a half-time lead. The match leaves Derby strengthened in their push for the play-offs and leaves Blackburn with questions to answer about their fight against relegation.