Defensively dire: Derby ship four in QPR defeat
The 4-0 defeat to Queens Park Rangers that was John Eustace’s first game in charge of Derby laid bare the difficulty of the job he had taken on. Now keeping it seems a bigger task than ever.
Looking to build on the positives of Saturday’s 1-1 draw at home to Wrexham, the Rams boss named an unchanged XI at Loftus Road. Also unchanged, were Derby’s fortunes from that night exactly 20 months ago. This was a horrendous of full circle moment.
Yes, I’d written that before Lars-Jørgen Salvesen prodded in a 100th minute consolation. But the point still stands, regardless of avoiding matching the heaviest defeat of Eustace’s tenure.
Just like back in February 2025, Derby looked disorganised at the back, careless with the ball in key areas and devoid of creativity.
At least Derby had a recognised full back on the pitch for the majority of the match. Only, right back Ryan Nyambe was required to play at centre back when he came on in the 11th minute. Having already taken a knock while making a goal-saving block to deny Rayan Kolli moments earlier, Sondre Langås was forced off with a groin problem after 10 minutes.
So, the mitigating circumstances surrounding the Rams’ tough start gets stronger yet. But the defending on show was frankly inexcusable.
Julien Stéphan’s side scored the opener with their first shot. Attacking left back Boy Kemper scampered after a ball over the top from ball-playing centre back Ronnie Edwards. The Dutchman then breezed past the slipping Mo Fuseini to backheel the ball to Alfie Lloyd, who wrapped his right foot around it and found the far-bottom corner.
Goalkeeper Josh Vickers, though, will be disappointed that he failed to get a hand to it.
The hosts doubled their lead four minutes later. Danish midfielder Nicolas Madsen sent Vickers the wrong way to convert his second penalty in as many games after Ryan Hedges brough Paul Smyth down in the box.
From here, Derby knew it would be a long way back. And Frustrations started to boil over, with David Ozoh getting booked in the move from kick-off, and Eustace talking himself into a yellow card on the half-hour mark.
It remained one-way traffic at Loftus Road as Lloyd smartly flicked the ball on for Kolli, who forced Vickers to tip his curling 20-yard shot over the bar. And the young Algerian was integral to the third before the break.
With a flick of his own, the striker found Lloyd, who battled to set up Harvey Vale. The twice-capped Ireland international worked a pocket of space with a step over and powerfully found the bottom-left corner with Vickers rooted to the spot.
Eustace rolled the dice at the break, bringing on captain Lewis Travis and Henrik Meister, but their no immediate uptick. That only came after conceding the fourth, with the introductions of Salvesen and Filip Bilbija.
Paul Smyth should have made it four just two minutes after the break, when he glanced a free header wide following Kemper’s cross. But he atoned for that error in the 68th minute.
Joe Ward’s attempt to clear Kealey Adamson’s back-post cross fell straight to Madsen, who dinked the ball out to Smyth on the left. Allowed too much space in the box, he got the ball out of his feet before it deflected in off Alex Mowatt’s left boot.
A further blow for the fans in the farcically priced £42 per ticket away end.
The Rams attacking play did start to improve in the closing stages, but it was never going to be enough. Salvesen’s cushioned header fell to Bobby Clark, who was denied by Pierce Charles. Clark then played in Bilbija, who saw a shot smothered, before Salvesen eventually found the bottom-right corner from eight yards.
Time is ticking
Derby’s tenth league game of last season was the 1-0 defeat at Oxford. It was both a reckoning and a turning point. It is feeling as though we are at least close to that same stage, with Derby still yet to win at home, and having done so just once away. Again.
Only, Derby are two points worse compared to the same point a year ago.
After Eustace’s first game in charge, I wrote: ‘Things should improve with time. Challenging, though, is that time is a luxury no-one is afforded in a relegation scrap.’ It is too early in the season to definitively say that a relegation scrap is where the Rams find themselves, but time pressure remains.
Eustace’s side should improve as players return from injury. There is also still the collapsed takeover to consider. However, he has to find a way to at least tread water through that time, as the Wrexham game suggested could be possible.
One fit centre back, two out-and-out defenders. Might it be time to dip into the free agent market, or give the likes of Raymond Offor a go?
There are only a couple of days to figure it out.
Goals: Lloyd 18’, Madsen 22’ (P), Vale 45’, Smyth 68’ | Salvesen 90+10’.
QPR (4-2-3-1): Charles (GK); Adamson, Dunne (C), Edwards, Kemper (Mbengue 72’, off injured 85’); Kamara, Madsen; Smyth (Scarlett 77’), Vale (Varane 62’), Lloyd (Poku 62’); Kolli (Kone 62’).
Unused substitutes: Ward (GK); Morrison, Clarke-Salter, Alemayehu.
Derby (4-2-3-1): Vickers (GK); Ward, Langås (Nyambe 11’), Sanderson, Hedges; Ozoh (Travis 46’), Mowatt; Fuseini (Meister 46’), Clark, Szmodics (Bilbija 70’); Morris (C) (Salvesen 63’).
Unused substitutes: O’Donnell (GK); Fraulo; Blackett-Taylor, Brewster.
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