Derby County went down 2-1 at Middlesbrough on Saturday in their third Sky Bet Championship fixture of the week.
Derby took the lead in just the second minute of the contest at the Riverside Stadium as USA international forward Patrick Agyemang surged clear and kept his cool to fire home his third goal of the campaign.
Boro came close to equalising just after the half-hour mark as defender Callum Brittain rattled the crossbar from around 12 yards out with a powerful drive which bounded down on the line and was eventually cleared by the Derby defence.
The Rams had to soak up plenty of pressure as the home side pushed forward in the second period in the driving rain, with Jacob Widell Zetterström making a fine save from Morgan Whittaker’s fizzing free kick after the hour.
The hosts hauled themselves onto level terms with 15 minutes remaining as Matt Targett headed home a corner despite the best efforts of the Rams’ Swedish goalkeeper to keep the ball out.
Former Rams player Whittaker went on to score the winner with five minutes of normal time remaining with a long-range strike to seal all three points for the home side.
Key Moments
Head Coach John Eustace made one change from the side that started in the 2-1 victory at Swansea City on Tuesday.
Defender Dion Sanderson came straight back into the starting line-up after serving a one-match suspension for accumulating five bookings this term in place of Danny Batth.
Australian international defender Callum Elder was also named in the starting line-up to make his 300th first-team appearance at club level.
Derby got off to a flying start at the Riverside Stadium when Lars-Jørgen Salvesen produced a neat flick to release Agyemang clean through on goal. The summer signing raced onto the pass and calmly side-footed the ball low into the bottom-right corner inside two minutes, the perfect beginning for John Eustace’s side.
Boro responded by turning up the pressure and hunting an equaliser. Delano Burgzorg found space down the left and delivered a teasing cross towards former Rams Academy product Whittaker, who made 32 senior appearances for Derby before leaving for Swansea City in 2021. Whittaker met the ball with a flicked header but couldn’t generate enough power and the chance drifted wide.
Agyemang remained a threat on the break following the goal, surging into the box before being stopped by a superb last-ditch sliding challenge from Alfie Jones.
Derby’s set-pieces also looked dangerous early on, as Joe Ward whipped in a dangerous corner that found Sanderson in space at the back post. His close-range header glanced off Targett and bounced over the bar.
Boro goalkeeper Brynn was then called into action when Bobby Clark curled a deep cross from the left. The goalkeeper showed excellent reflexes to dive low and tip the effort away.
On the half-hour mark Kim Hellberg’s side began to ramp up the pressure in search of a leveller. Alex Bangura whipped in a teasing cross that Zetterström did well to palm clear and Alan Browne could not latch onto the rebound before Derby scrambled it to safety.
Bangura then burst forward again and cut back to Brittain, whose fierce first-time strike cannoned off the underside of the crossbar, bounced down on the line and was eventually cleared. A quick goal-line check confirmed the ball had not crossed.
Shortly after, Whittaker picked out Brittain on the right and his pinpoint delivery found Burgzorg in the area. The striker tried a first-time volley that flew over the bar.
A long throw from Elder caused havoc in the Boro box when Agyemang flicked it on and Matt Clarke, eager to get on the scoresheet against his former club, met it with a first-time volley that flew narrowly wide. Derby had one last sight before the break as Elder’s inswinging corner reached Salvesen at the front post, but the Norwegian couldn’t steer his header on target.
Half-time arrived with Derby ahead, rewarded for their energetic start and resolute defending during pressure from the hosts.
Early in the second half, Middlesbrough crafted an opening with an intricate passing move. The ball eventually fell to captain Hayden Hackney on the edge of the box, but he sliced at the chance and his effort drifted wide.
Moments later, a deep free-kick from Targett curled narrowly past the post as Boro continued to build momentum. Before the 70-minute mark, the hosts earned another set-piece in a promising position. Whittaker stepped up and drilled a powerful effort across goal, only for Zetterström to spring across and turn it away.
The pressure continued to mount. Jones lofted a looping ball over the Derby defence towards substitute David Strelec, who flung himself at it but could only send his diving header wide.
Middlesbrough pulled level in the 75th minute. Hackney delivered a pinpoint corner into the heart of the box, where Targett climbed above everyone to thunder a header beyond Zetterström and setting up a tense final quarter of an hour.
With the momentum firmly behind them, the hosts completed a late turnaround in the 84th minute. After a short corner routine, Whittaker collected the ball and whipped a low delivery towards the far post, in search of a team-mate, but it skipped past everyone and nestled into the bottom corner to put the Teessiders in front.
Eustace responded with a triple substitution hoping to inspire a late equaliser. One of those substitutes, Kayden Jackson, broke down the right in stoppage time and fired a dangerous cross into the box, but the Boro defence dealt with it well to clear their lines.
Despite late pressure from the Rams, Middlesbrough held firm to ensure Derby left the Riverside Stadium empty-handed.
The Teams
Middlesbrough: Brynn (GK), Brittain, Targett, Jones, Hackney (C), Conway (Sène 71), Burgzorg (Nypan 71), Whittaker (Baptiste 88), Browne (McGree 53), Bangura, Hansen (Strelec 53).
Unused Substitutes: Mclaughlin (GK), Gilbert, Hamilton, Silvera.
Derby County: Zetterström (GK), Clarke, LangÃ¥s (Blackett-Taylor 87), Agyemang, Salvesen (Jackson 79), Elder, Ward (Nyambe 79), Brereton DÃaz (Weimann 87), Sanderson, Adams (C), Clark (Thompson 87).
Unused Substitutes: Vickers (GK), Forsyth, Nelson, Eames.
What’s Next?
Derby will return to Pride Park Stadium in the Sky Bet Championship to go head-to-head with Leicester City next Saturday (12:30pm kick-off).
Words: Ella Barber.
