The Rams secured all three points with victory over the Bluebirds at Pride Park.
Paul Warne said he was “really proud” of his Derby County team after they won their third Championship game in a row at Pride Park, defeating Cardiff 1-0.
Kenzo Goudmijn’s goal in the first half was enough to seal the victory, as the Dutchman scored in his second consecutive game to secure all three points.
Cardiff had one golden opportunity when Eiran Cashin headed at his own goal, but Jacob Widell Zetterstrom made an outstanding stop.
Former Bluebirds midfielder Ebou Adams, playing against Cardiff for the first time since joining Derby in the summer, had a golden opportunity to seal the game in stoppage time but drifted wide of an open goal.
When asked for his thoughts on the game, head coach Warne remarked, “I’m really proud. I thought we were the superior team for the first hour. We were slightly affected by the loss of David Ozoh. We had to take Nat (Mendez-Laing) off since he was returning from the internationals.
“That ruined our forward momentum, and to be fair to Cardiff, I believe they made six or seven changes.” They kept throwing fresh bodies on, but it was difficult because we were playing brilliantly and you were wondering, ‘What can I do?’ I believed if we went to a back three and defended crosses, we’d be fine.
“I thought it was a relatively comfortable ending, but it did not feel that way at the moment. I was very happy of their efforts when the seven-minute board came up.”