How’s that for a response? After the depths of Saturday’s dismal defeat to Swansea and fears of regression if new faces did not arrive Tuesday brought a glorious fightback. John Eustace’s “true warriors” secured a 2-0 win over Portsmouth. Nobody at Fratton Park embodied that spirit more than Lars-Jørgen Salvesen. He scored within three minutes of coming off the bench, just hours after rejecting a loan move and opting to fight for his place. Eustace told BBC Radio Derby:

If there is one thing that is coming to characterise this Derby squad, it is players stepping up in the hour of need.

Lars-Jørgen Salvesen celebrates in front of the south stand after the final whistle (Photo: Joe Egerton). In the soggy conditions, it always felt as though someone was going to slip up. When Ivor Pandur did, under pressure from Andi Weimann, enter Lars-Jørgen Salvesen. He’d only been on the pitch a matter of seconds, but the Norwegian composed himself quickly. First a deft clip with his right boot. A second to breathe. Then, as he lifted the ball over Pandur with his le

Match report and analysis as Derby County win for the first time in 2025 beating Blackburn Rovers 2-1 in the EFL Championship.

Report and analysis as Derby County lose a relegation six-pointer at Cardiff City in the EFL Championship.