Thanks to a 94th minute winner, Derby managed to snatch a win from the Madejski in a game were a draw probably would have been the fairest result. Here we take a look at how the players rated from the game:
Vito Mannone – 5 – Vito didn’t have too much to do in the game, with Derby only having 3 shots on target in the game. One was a very good save, but the other two were goals conceded, and he was the man at fault for Derby’s first goal. A decent strike but one he could have easily dealt with slipped under his gloves and into the net. With Sam Walker coming into the squad this summer, Mannone needs to put in performances to guarantee a start.
Andy Yiadom – 6 – An impressive debut from the new man. Looks comfortable and arguably more dangerous going forward than Gunter, but defensively looked a bit suspect at times. Sometimes he committed to a tackle too early rather than standing his ground and left gaps in behind for Derby to play into.
Paul McShane – 7 – A typical performance of the McShane we saw two seasons ago. Solid from start to finish, getting stuck into anything that came his way and led the side superbly.
Tiago Ilori – 6 – Solid performance from the Portuguese center half. Nice to see us play with a ball playing defender trying to create from the back. He did make a couple of mistakes giving away possession cheaply but all round was solid, a lot less nervy than previous seasons. Maybe life after Moore won’t be so bad?
Omar Richards – 5 – Richards is a player with a lot of promise. This lad has got real talent and could become a stalwart in the side in the future, but in this game showed he is still not the finished article. Had some good moments but overall looked quite naive and was risky at the back. This should not mean we lose faith in the young left back though.
David Meyler – 7 – Another impressive debut, this time from the Irishman in central midfield. Looked a solid shield in front of the back four, got stuck into plenty of challenges and justified why Clement fought to bring him in this summer. Got slightly carried away with some of his tackles, he just needs to keep a calm head.
Liam Kelly – 6 – Looked fairly lively in the first half but no real impact in the second half. Looked collected in possession, but will want to have more of an impact on games.
John Swift – 7 – The best game John Swift has had in a long time. Last season was difficult for the midfielder as injuries disrupted his playing time. Looked a threat going forward and linked up well with Bodvarsson, hopefully he can put in more similar performances.
Sone Aluko – 6 – I actually think Aluko played well in this game, despite what I have been reading online. He looked bright in the first half and showed some good skills on the ball. Last season he certainly did not look like and £7.5 million player, and he has a long way to go to justify that price, but if he can convert good performances into match winning performances, I’m sure he can win the fans back around.
Mo Barrow – 7 – Had Andre Wisdom in his pocket, the Derby right back couldn’t handle him. Always looked a threat and provided a wonderful cross for the goal.
Jon Dadi Bodvarsson – 6 – Worked tirelessly up front and got a deserved goal for his efforts. Missed some good opportunities in the first half though so will need to prove himself worthy of a start after summer additions up front.
Subs
Sam Baldock – 5 – Barely had a touch of the ball, but didn’t really have enough impact on the game for us to be able to judge him just yet. Hopefully with more minutes he will prove to be a worthwhile addition.
Yakou Meite – 5 – Like Baldock, barely got a touch when he came on so made little impact, and managed to get into a scuffle with Bradley Johnson. It is good to see a player play with passion though. Let’s hope he channels that into his performances.
Leandro Bacuna – 5 – Came on too late to be able to have an impact
