Derby County hosted Bristol City on Saturday afternoon and surprised their opponents by winning 3-0.
Derby County supporters may have been forgiven for expecting a struggle against the Robins, especially after their humiliating cup loss at the hands of League Two outfit Barrow, but Paul Warne’s side responded admirably.
The Rams’ goal scorers were all summer signings, with Kenzo Goudmijn opening the scoring in the first half before Kayden Jackson and David Ozoh sealed the victory in the second half.
In fact, the score could have been much higher. Nathaniel Mendez-Laing and Jerry Yates both had shots saved by the post, while the latter was denied his first goal for the East Midlands club by a fine Max O’Leary save from close range.
Home form will most certainly be important for Warne’s side this season, as Derby County has done well at Pride Park, winning two of their last two Championship games. With their Carabao Cup victory over Chesterfield, they now have three wins from three in all competitions.
There were a number of outstanding individual performances throughout the Rams’ spectacular collective effort, but it was a certain Swansea City loanee who won both Player of the Match and received the most accolades from the local media.
Yates impresses in Pride Park bow
Among the Championship returnees’ excellent attacking displays, Derby Telegraph reporter Leigh Curtis found Yates to be the most impressive.
The Derby County squad received numerous 8/10 and 8.5/10 ratings, but it was the 27-year-old striker who stood out with an excellent 9/10 performance in the eyes of Curtis, who said the following about his performance:
“A real livewire up front and sensed he would have chased a crisp packet in the wind. Came short, tried to get in behind, had a couple of lovely flicks too, hit the post. Deserved a goal and will be a favorite here if he keeps that up. So good.”
The summer signing received mostly positive reaction as he made his first home appearance for the Rams since joining on loan from Swansea.
Yates received a red card in his final appearance for the Swans last season, a ban he was compelled to serve for Derby in their first three games this season, and he is now undoubtedly on the right track to winning over his new fans.
An wealth of energy, great link-up play, and a genuine threat moving forward. Warne will be hopeful that the former Rotherham United player can continue in the same spirit during the international break.
Derby County set the standard
Over the summer, there was a lot of chatter about the Rams, much of which suggested that the newly promoted club would face a difficult battle to maintain their second-tier status.
Concerns about style of play and recruitment have been the primary sticking points, but four games into the Championship campaign, there are reasons to be optimistic.
Derby County’s victory over Bristol City was possibly their best performance under Warne, as the manager admitted in his post-match interview, but the issue now is to sustain that level.
On transfer deadline day, the Rams added two new loan signings to their squad: centre-back Nat Phillips from Liverpool and winger Marcus Harness from Ipswich Town.
Of course, there’s a long way to go. However, the Derby supporters will feel more confidence given that they are ninth in the table and only one point below the top six heading into the international break.