Derby County Vs Blackburn Rovers — Rams bounce back after successive defeats
derby county vs blackburn rovers ended 3-1 at Pride Park as Derby overturned an early Hayden Carter header to score three second-half goals from Ben Brereton Diaz, Matt Clarke and Rhian Brewster, a result that revived the Rams' play-off hopes after a poor run.
Derby fight back after Carter's first-half header
Blackburn took the lead on the stroke of half-time when Hayden Carter headed in from a Yuri Ribeiro free-kick in first-half stoppage time for his first goal since May 2023, but Derby levelled through Ben Brereton Diaz on 55 minutes before Matt Clarke put the hosts ahead and Rhian Brewster sealed victory eight minutes from time; Clarke's goal was his second of the season and Brereton Diaz's finish was his fifth Rams goal of the season.
Team news and line-ups at Pride Park
The match kicked off at 12. 30pm, with Derby making three changes after a 4-2 defeat at Hull City on Tuesday; Carlton Morris returned from a long-term injury to make his first start at Pride Park since November after three substitute appearances in Derby’s last three matches, Joe Ward made his 27th league appearance and Dion Sanderson returned to the starting XI, while Lewis Travis captained the side and 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. 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. Substitutes: Michalski (GK), Pickering, Gardner-Hickman, De Neve, Afolayan, O’Riordan, Jørgensen, Montgomery, Atcheson.
Moments that swung the game
The key swing came from a defensive error when Lewis Travers conceded a stupid free-kick outside his own box on the left, and Ribeiro, making his first start since December, delivered for Carter to head into the far corner; earlier, Ben Brereton Diaz had a shot saved by Balazs Toth and Blackburn goalkeeper Balázs Tóth later denied Patrick Agyemang from a narrow left-angle. Yuki Ōhashi turned Matt Clarke in the box but dragged his shot across goal, Yuri Ribeiro had an effort saved by Josh Vickers in the 40th minute, Andri Guðjohnsen chested down and blazed wide just after the break, and a 34th-minute flashpoint saw Sam Szmodics and Adam Forshaw booked by referee Leigh Doughty.
Derby County vs Blackburn Rovers: experience and consequence
The result deepened Blackburn's relegation worries and highlighted the gulf in experience at Pride Park: Derby's 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. The win was John Eustace's third over his old club in just under a year and rekindled Derby's play-off push after they had lost three of their previous four games; Michael O'Neill's side have now lost their past two matches despite taking the lead, after winning his opening two.
Manager reaction and what comes next
Derby boss John Eustace praised the recovery and reflected on the club's position, 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. " Team staff also noted the side adapted better after half-time following a difficult opening 45 minutes.
Fans were reminded in the match build-up to register for club updates, with the club message: "Don't miss a thing! Register for a Rams account today. " Eustace's focus now turns to the remaining 11 fixtures as Derby chase a late push in the table.
