Derby County 4-0 Portsmouth: Paul Warne’s men earn key win in Championship relegation battle as they break winless run with riotous performance at Pride Park
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Derby satisfied their hunger for victory with a ravenous first half as they gave championship strugglers Portsmouth a masterclass in finishing their dinner.
The Rams were winless in six and had scored just four goals in that period, but early tries from Kane Wilson, Eiran Cashin and Ebou Adams in the opening 30 minutes left the visitors stunned – before Marlon Pack later scored an own goal.
If Arsenal’s coach Nicolas Jover is worth a mural, then whoever devised Derby’s deadball tactics can demand a castle be built in his name. Or at least a pay increase.
Derby have now scored 12 goals from set play after Cashin’s header increased their fearsome reputation. Last season there were 25.
Kane Wilson had given the Rams a deserved lead after eight minutes with a first-time finish inside the box following delicate work on the left from Nathaniel Mendez-Laing, who was a force all evening until he got free.
Paul Warne’s men got their customary goal in the 23rd minute when Cashin rose and nodded home a corner, his effort bouncing cruelly over the head of the leaping Callum Lang.
Kane Wilson opened the scoring after eight minutes thanks to an assist from Nathaniel Mendez-Laing
Eiran Cashin headed in Derby’s second, their twelfth goal of the campaign
Ebou Adams made it 3-0 within half an hour after his first shot was deflected by Tom McIntyre
And the Rams were in dreamland after 29 minutes as Adams put them 3-0 ahead, with his close-range effort deflected off Tom McIntyre after Craig Forsyth had overlapped Mendez-Laing to drive home the cross.
To make matters worse, former Pompey player Marcus Harness forced an own goal after 65 minutes when his cross was poked home by a hapless Marlon Pack.
Pompey didn’t play badly and Josh Murphy peppered Derby’s box with crosses, but Jacob Widell Zetterstrom was equal to the challenge of his line every time.
Paul Warne’s side sit 14th in the table but Portsmouth risk falling back into the drop zone this weekend after their run of four unbeaten games was shattered at Pride Park. It wasn’t until midweek that they escaped it for the first time since August with a 0-0 draw against Norwich.
The last time Derby beat Portsmouth was in April 2012 and that was to relegate Pompey from the Championship. John Mousinho has a job to do as his side struggle to acclimatise after promotion.