Derby County vs Queens Park Rangers. Sky Bet Championship.
Pride Park StadiumAttendance23,296.
Tuesday 21 November 2017 23:17, UK
Tom Lawrence scored his first goal for Derby in a 2-0 victory against QPR who have now failed to win away in the league since January.
The Wales international struck early in the second half after Matej Vydra's ninth goal of the season put Derby ahead in first-half stoppage time. Rangers had contained Derby well up to that point but offered little as an attacking force apart from a Jamie Mackie header and a late Luke Freeman shot.
Their last visit to the east midlands ended in a 4-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest two weeks ago but sloppy defending gave them an opening in the 18th minute when Mackie's cross was headed out to Freeman who volleyed wide from the edge of the area.
Jack Robinson just cut out a pass which would have sent Andreas Weimann clear before another Derby break in the 22nd minute was halted by a trip on Lawrence by Alex Baptiste who was booked.
Curtis Davies was shown a yellow card four minutes later when he sent Josh Scowen tumbling as the midfielder was threatening to break clear and Derby's frustration showed when Lawrence sent a free-kick sailing harmlessly out of play.
Derby were finding it hard to get their attacking players into the game but Vydra had a half-chance in the 45th minute when a pass from Craig Forsyth fell to him 15 yards out but he fired wide under pressure.
But in first-half stoppage time, Rangers were caught by a diagonal ball from Tom Huddlestone which put Weimann away on the right and his low cross was turned in by Vydra as the visitors looked in vain for an offside flag.
Ian Holloway reacted furiously in his technical area and the Rangers boss had to make a change at the start of the second half with Ryan Manning replacing Joel Lynch who needed treatment just before the interval.
Derby were fortunate to be in front but they doubled their lead in the 53rd minute when Davies played the ball up to Weimann who laid it off to Vydra before Lawrence arrowed a shot from just outside the box into the bottom left corner. It left Rangers with a lot to do and they nearly conceded a third when David Nugent was played in on the left but Alex Smithies blocked his shot before falling on the rebound.
Rangers had a chance in the 69th minute when Matt Smith flicked on a corner but Mackie put the header just over and Derby broke quickly with Weimann firing narrowly wide. Freeman tested Scott Carson in the 90th minute but by then Rangers were resigned to another pointless away day.
Gary Rowett: "The game today in some ways showed a little bit of both sides to [Lawrence's] season. First half he struggled a little bit but he kept trying to take people on and make things happen. As a young player we have to support him because he can do exactly what he did second half. It's a brilliant finish, he fakes to pass it, opens the space up inside and hits it with great power and accuracy.
"Then for 15 minutes afterwards he looks a different player, he looked as if he was going to create a goal every time he got the ball. He's going to be a big player, he's got great ability and that goal will be a massive relief I'm sure for him."
Ian Holloway: "The manner of the defeat is not what I'm about and the club's about. I can take losing but it's how you lose sometimes so where was the pressing and the running and the energy? Tonight we looked like a teddy bear that had the stuffing ripped out and that's unforgivable for me. We needed the second goal, they got it and after that I'm absolutely fuming.
"I've had a few words and I'll have a few words (on Wednesday). I get knocked down but I get up again. I think we got knocked down and it looked like we needed handles on their shorts for some of them and I'm not happy with it."
