Derby County's cast of thousands spark West Brom comments as Paul Warne's clever gesture pays off

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Goals from Jerry Yates and a Mason Holgate own goal ensured Derby County landed a Boxing Day knockout in a 2-1 win over West Brom at Pride Park.

Derby raced out of the blocks early on and nearly took a quick lead when Kane Wilson produced a wonderful cross to pick out Jerry Yates who was denied by Alex Palmer.

That was cue for the atmosphere to grow louder at Pride Park as Marcus Harness saw a goalbound shot blocked by Kyle Bartley. Wilson was giving Albion numerous problems down the right and he had legitimate appeals for a penalty turned away when he was brought down in the box after a fine pass from Goudmijn.

Albion were struggling to contain Derby as Nat Phillips saw a shot saved by Palmer before Nathaniel Mendez-Laing drilled over the bar. But just as the Rams were building momentum, the visitors offered a reminder of their threat when Darnell Furlong cracked the post from 25 yards.

But with their next attack Derby were ahead when Yates fired his effort across Palmer and in via the post after an excellent spot from Goudmijn. Warne's side were good value for their lead but just before half-time, John Swift cracked the post for the visitors with a free-kick.

After the break, Elder did brilliantly to thwart Fellows before Goudmijn curled just wide from outside of the box. Jacob Widell Zetterstrom then made a terrific save to thwart Alex Mowatt before Derby gave themselves some breathing space when Mason Holgate deflected Kayden Jackson's shot past Palmer.

But Albion set up a tense finale when Tom Fellows crossed to the back post for Grady Diangana to head in and there were some hearts in mouths when Karlon Grant had a great chance but his effort was saved by Zetterstrom as Derby sealed all three points.

Here are all the talking points from last night

A deserved win and a major psychological boost

West Brom probed, they pressed and when Kane Wilson committed a foul in the dying stages of a thoroughly entertaining contest, Paul Warne told us what he was thinking.

"I thought 'oh my God, no' - it felt like Luton revisited," he said with his usual searing honesty. But after such a gut-wrenching experience at Kenilworth Road last Friday, nobody could blame him. There were 30,000 people inside Pride Park who felt the same, especially with the gruelling Luton experience still fresh in the mind.

But unlike the two late deflections that broke Derby's hearts on that occasion, there would be no late West Brom salvo here. Jacob Widell Zetterstrom made an excellent save, Nat Phillips would have probably headed a brick if you threw one at him, and everywhere you looked, tackles were flying in what became an old-fashioned Boxing Day dust-up.

You could sense the relief at full-time, but in truth, anything other than a Derby win would have been unjust, given the first-half performance in which West Brom struggled to keep track of the swathe of black and white dancing in and out of the mist. Jerry Yates gave them a deserved lead and it could and perhaps should have been more. It was not until Mason Holgate turned in Kayden Jackson's shot that Derby could breathe and it was about time they had some fortune go their way.

With the exception of Leeds, performances in recent weeks have warranted a far greater points return than they have yielded. And if there had been a repeat of Luton here, the psychological damage to the dressing room after taking a two-goal lead would have been significant. Instead, they left it in comfort knowing they secured a result that their efforts deserved and against a good team, too.

Warne gesture proved a masterstroke

While players up and down the country were being hauled in for training on Christmas Day, Paul Warne allowed his squad to spend the day at home.

There was a condition attached in that they had to film themselves engaging in some form of exercise before sending the footage to the What's App group chat, which Warne said always provides a "great laugh."

Not many managers would be bold enough to make such a call the day before a game when they're usually busy reviewing tactical details. But last year, he did the same as Derby beat Wigan on Boxing Day in one of their best away performances of the season and he got the same response here against West Brom.

Warne gave the players freedom to enjoy time with their families at a special time of the year and they responded by not breaking his trust and giving him a performance in the process. Warne said some may see it as a risky career move because there may well have been a temptation to indulge in one sherry too many. Ultimately, it was just exceptionally good man-management because players don't like to be treated like robots. You look after them, and invariably, they will look after you.

West Brom comments said it all

While West Brom began to turn the screw in the final stages, instead of anxiety sweeping through the terraces, Derby fans increased the decibel levels.

Every tackle was greeted with a roar, every decision to press met with a chorus of approval, and some good old-fashioned chants were thrown in for good measure.

Warne was quick to acknowledge the fans after the game having appreciated how the chest-beating rubbed off on the players. West Brom fans were also quick to praise Derby's atmosphere with one admitting it was better than anything they have seen at the Hawthorns.

As Chris Brunt admitted after the game, having been placed in charge on an interim basis after Carlos Corberan's exit to Valencia, Derby is a tough place to go at the best of times. It's even harder when the fans create the noise they did here.

Full-backs impressive and Kenzo Goudmijn shines

There were some excellent performances across the board and everyone will have their own view as to who deserved the man of the match crown. Kane Wilson continued his rich vein of form with another electric performance at right-back and is playing the best football of his Derby career.

Following a lung-bursting performance at Luton, Callum Elder joined Wilson in providing attacking impetus allied with defensive awareness. The block he made to deny Tom Fellows in the second half epitomised Derby's willingness to throw bodies on the line and was actually a significant moment in an absorbing contest.

While those two were flying up and down the touchline, Kenzo Goudmijn was pulling the strings in midfield. It was not so long ago that the Dutchman found himself on the bench as he acclimatised to life in the Championship.

But the way he recognised Uros Racic breaking from his position which allowed him to tee up Jerry Yates for the goal showed a high level of football intelligence. It was exactly why Derby signed him from Alkmaar in the summer. If Ebou Adams is the steel in their midfield, Goudmijn is certainly the silk.

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