“We knew what was at stake” – Derby fall short at Norwich in further top six blow

When Jacob Widell Zetterström dived down to his left to push away Mohamed Toure’s poor penalty after eight minutes, Derby should have woken up.

The opening stages had been nervy, sloppy even. The Rams’ number one had already had to dash out of his goal twice, first to beat Liam Gibbs to a loose ball, and then to clear Sondre Langås’ weak backwards header.

Making his first start in nearly three months as Dion Sanderson was given a night off playing through the pain barrier, Langås was understandably a little rusty.

But for all the tension as the game got underway at Carrow Road, one thing no one could accuse John Eustace’s side of lacking was fire in their bellies. “This was a game with lots of responsibility, and we knew what was at stake,” David Ozoh, who scored the winner in the reverse fixture, told BBC Radio Derby.

Maybe Derry Murkin was a little too fired up as he fouled Forson Amankwah from behind to concede the spot-kick before risking giving away another with a challenge on Pelle Mattsson a few minutes later.

Toure’s penalty was not the same quality as his touch to find Forson in the build-up – weakly placed half-way between the centre of the goal and the bottom-right-corner. But he atoned for this with a thumping finish in the 33^rd minute, belting the ball in off the woodwork from the right-hand-side of the box.

It was exactly the sort of emphatic finish you would expect of a striker with nine goals in 10 Championship games as Derby were finally punished for the chasm of space they left for Paris Maghoma and Forson between their defensive and midfield lines.

“The two goals we conceded were really poor,” Eustace, who criticised his side’s defensive communication, said of Toure’s opener and Gibbs’ eventual winner on BBC Radio Derby. Many would argue that that statement applied to more than the goals on a fairly dismal evening in East Anglia. Probably the entire first half, or even until the final 20 minutes.

Derby’s first attempt on goal came from the restart, Carlton Morris rattling the bar from Murkin’s cut-back with the flag already up.

So, it was Sam Szmodics who had Derby’s first registered shot, in the 43^rd minute. Moments after Zetterström had denied Kenny McLean from a 30-yard free-kick, Szmodics attempted his best imitation of the Scotland midfielder, by shooting from just inside his own half. Unlike Kasper Schmeichel at Hampden back in November though, Vladan Kovačević was more than equal to it.

If the Carrow Road regulars had needed another reason to jeer the Ipswich loanee, he had just put it on a plate for them. And again, when he blazed Lewis Travis’ reverse pass over the bar under light pressure from Pelle Mattsson in first-half stoppage time.

Two early Maghoma chances suggested nothing had changed for Derby after the break. But after Langås’ header was caught by Kovačević, Ozoh saw an opportunity. As The Canaries played out from the back, the midfielder caught McLean dawdling on the ball and played a one-two with Carlton Morris before slotting home.

But parity would last just six minutes before Maghoma picked out Gibbs, who was left in too much space on the edge of the box by Langås and Joe Ward and curled the ball into the bottom-right-corner.

Szmodics was denied a near-instant leveller when Kovačević tipped his chip behind, before a triple change – including the exit of Derry Murkin with a hamstring injury – brought Derby fresh impetus.

Now in a 4-4-2, The Rams were much more aggressive, with their decision-making “much better” according to Eustace. A prime example of this was Max Johnston’s delightful low cross from the left, which fellow substitute Lars-Jørgen Salvesen fired straight at Kovačević, who then denied Morris from the rebound.

At the centre of much of Derby’s good build-up in the final stages, then Johnston saw a long shot tipped away as the visitors got braver in possession.

But their best chance to equalise came from a set-piece which left them millimetres away. Joe Ward whipped the ball onto Carlton Morris’ head at the front post and Kovačević used every part of his body to somehow keep it out before Salvesen headed the follow-up over.

Analysis: Needing refinement

Two moments summed up Derby’s night. When, in first half stoppage time, Jacob Widell Zetterström passed the ball straight into the path of Paris Maghoma before Joe Ward’s clearance hit Liam Gibbs. And, obviously, Morris’ nearly-equaliser.

The first was symptomatic of The Rams struggles, both on the ball, and more generally against the intensity of Phillipe Clement’s Canaries. The second was a great illustration of how despite Derby’s late push, their exemplary effort, things are not quite falling for them.

It will likely be representative of their play-off push: after a poor start, they have made up for lost time and been mightily unfortunate to not quite get over the line.

Defensively, Eustace is right that “we just need to be better at keeping that momentum and not allowing them to come back with sloppy goals” as he told Rams TV. That has been a theme of recent away games and will have to improve next season.

Going forward a little more finesse was needed too, to link up play and find that killer ball. Johnston’s cross for Salvesen was probably as close as Derby got in terms of the latter. It felt like the game was crying out for a playmaker in the 10 – a Rhian Brewster or chiefly Bobby Clark. Their absences are just mightily unfortunate, and now we can add Derry Murkin to the list.

If the reverse fixture was where Derby’s season truly started, this might be where it effectively ends. With Hull and Wrexham both four points ahead of The Rams, they will need to take maximum points and hope both sides fail to win in their final two games.

It is a long shot, but they must be alert throughout the final two games – ready to take the chance if it is presented to them.

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Goals: Toure 33', Gibbs 60' | Ozoh 54'

Norwich (4-2-3-1): Kovačević (GK); Stacey (Field 88’), Darling, Córdoba, Fisher; Mattsson, McLean; Amankwah (Mundle-Smith 80’), Maghoma (Ben Slimane 80’), Gibbs; Touré (Kvistgaarden 62’).

Unused Substitutes: Grimshaw (GK); Medić; Schlupp, Wright, Baumann.

Derby (4-2-3-1): Zetterström (GK); Ward, Langås, Clarke, Murkin (Forsyth 67’); Travis (C) (Eames 87’), Ozoh (Fraulo 75’); Brereton Díaz (Johnston 67’), Szmodics Banel (Salvesen 67’); Morris.

Unused Substitutes: Vickers (GK); Batth, Gordon; Allen.