Derby County overcame their recent poor away form to beat QPR and keep their promotion hopes alive.
QPR started the game well and dominated for the first 60 minutes, in which Rams goalkeeper Jacob Widell Zetterström made several crucial saves to keep John Eustace’s men in the game.
The hosts led the game twice after goals from ex-Chelsea academy star Harvey Vale and Richard Kone, both of which were followed by goals from set pieces by the Rams.
Derby County substitute Jaydon Banel scored the winning goal in the 88th minute after an incredible solo effort.
Jacob Widell Zetterström: 8.5 (MOTM)
Undoubtedly the man of the match, Zetterström, made an impressive ten saves.
An early save in the fifth minute prevented a clear-cut chance from going in, followed by several saves from long-distance attempts in the first half.
Zetterström stopped QPR from going 3-1 up after a poor pass from Derby’s captain Lewis Travis just before the 60th minute.
Max Johnston: 6.0
The Scottish right back started on the left side of the defense before being substituted in the 61st minute.
Johnston picked up a lucky assist for Derby’s first goal after his mishit shot found its way to Oscar Fraulo. Other than that, Johnston didn’t impress on either end of the pitch.
Matt Clarke: 7.0
The experienced centre back won all of his aerial duels (6/6) and, for the most part, put in an all-round solid performance.
Clarke possibly could have done better for QPR’s second goal, and a few minutes later made an error losing the ball in his own 18-yard box, which bumps his rating down a few points.
Dion Sanderson: 5.5
Sanderson being taken off in the 60th minute was probably the correct decision, as the 26 year-old was not able to make his mark on the match.
Whilst Sanderson didn’t make any notable errors, he also didn’t contribute much defensively or in the build-up, which earns him a rating of 5.5.
Sondre Langås: 7.5
The 25 year-old Norweigan started and spent the majority of the game at right back, having been moved to centre back in the second half.
Langås topped off a defensively sound performance with a strong header to equalise the game in the 76th minute.
Oscar Fraulo: 7.0
The young Dane scored his first goal in a Derby County shirt with a well-taken finish from just inside the 18-yard box after a miscued volley from Max Johnston found its way to him.
Fraulo didn’t make much of an impact elsewhere on the pitch and was subbed off for David Ozoh.
Lewis Travis: 6.0
If football were a sport based solely on effort, Travis would have a higher rating today. Travis covered a lot of the pitch defensively and often dropped deep to provide a passing outlet for his defenders, but couldn’t do much with the ball.
A misplaced pass from Travis almost gifted QPR a two-goal lead just before the 60th minute.
Ben Brereton Díaz: 5.0
Hard to comment on the Chilean’s performance today, as he was invisible for most of the match. Díaz picked up a yellow card after stopping a QPR attack.
Sammie Szmodics: 6.0
The Ipswich Town loanee also struggled to make an impression in this game.
Szmodics won the corner that led to Oscar Fraulo’s goal, which was probably his biggest contribution today. He also picked up what looks to be a muscle injury in the last few minutes of the match.
Joe Ward: 7.0
Joe Ward found himself in the right midfield position for most of the match, and not in his usual right back position.
The 30-year-old picked up his eighth assist of the season after a sharp set piece found Langås. Ward also contributed defensively both on the right-hand side and in the midfield areas.
Carlton Morris: 6.0
Derby County’s top scorer this season didn’t manage to find his way onto the scoresheet today.
Morris was involved in plenty of physical battles with the opposing side’s centre-backs, which did lead to a few set pieces, most notably the free kick which led to the Rams’ second goal.
Craig Forsyth: 6.5
The veteran defender did his job defensively after coming on for Max Johnston in the 61st minute.
Jaydon Banel: 8.0
Could have easily been the man of the match had it not been for Zetterström’s performance in goal. Banel provided the energy and confidence that Derby were majorly lacking in attack until he came on.
Banel scored after weaving between two QPR defenders and curling his shot in the side netting, saving Derby County’s promotion hopes.
David Ozoh: 6.5
The Crystal Palace loanee brought the physicality in midfield, which was very much lacking in the Fraulo-Travis double pivot.
Lars-Jørgen Salvesen: 6.0
The Norwegian forward didn’t have much time to make an impact, mostly looking to win aerial duels.
Danny Batth: N/A
The experienced centre back replaced Sammie Szmodics for the last minutes of the match and helped seal the win.
