The ACN Match Review: Derby (h) | OneFootball

How did we play?

Not much football was played until the first goal, what with the unnecessarily long stoppages for injuries (there were seven and eight minutes of added time respectively) and yet another EFL referee failing to get a grip of a highly-charged encounter where both sides clearly hadn’t given up on gatecrashing the top six – one of whom were destined to do so and go all the way, at least according to Ipswich outcast Sammie Szmodics. 

It’s a shame for them that they created very little in their must-win game, as City looked in control from then on, even accounting for some uncharacteristic dilly-dallying from Kenny (certainly this season) which presented them with an equaliser that they didn’t look capable of conjuring up for themselves. Those sorts of moments would’ve floored this team a few months ago, but not so now. 

Liam Gibbs curled in a deserved first-ever Carrow Road goal and the game was sensibly managed from then on, like a team that now knows how to win games of football.

What was the best bit of the game?

To expand on the response to the equaliser, seeing the complete mentality shift now where, throughout the team, you see more accountability and a demand to iron out mistakes and misjudgements. Equally, I love to see saves, tackles and blocks celebrated just as much as goals and the response to Vlad’s vital stop at the end was a great example of that.

Errol would’ve taken the roof off had he found the net after what was an excellent, positive, burst through on goal.

What was the worst bit of the game?

We waited all season for a penalty in a home game and, to be honest, didn’t look like converting it.

Mo Toure is the ‘hot hand’ at the moment – literally, with the third of his goals on Saturday – but he lacked conviction from the spot. From open play though, everything Mo touches is turning to goals and thankfully, he emphatically made amends about 20 minutes later.

Looking through our squad at the moment, I’m not sure who our obvious taker(s) would now be – this was our first since August and only our fourth in two seasons. As an aside, before last night, we were – according to the Championship’s subreddit – rock bottom of the division in ‘touches in the opposition box: penalties given’ ratio. No prizes for guessing who was at the other end of that table…

What was the atmosphere like?

Helped in the early stages by a bit of needle as Jose Cordoba tussled with Carlton Morris and Ben Brereton Diaz but much like I said after the Sheffield Utd review, what a transformation from pre-Christmas. 

It’s now a shame this season is about to end. Watching Norwich is fun again. So much so, I’ll see some of you at Hull.

Hero of the match

Cordoba was named Man of the Match and it’s hard to disagree. Szmodics is probably still trying to find his way out of his pocket. Vlad in goal, however, deserves his flowers for a few late match-winning saves. 

After watching it back on the YouTube highlights, he was rightly mobbed by his teammates for his “save and a half” as co-commentator Cedric Anselin accurately described it. From my angle, high up in the Barclay at the other end of the pitch, I had no idea how the ball sat back up after Morris’ first downward header. 

Not only did Vlad get down superbly to keep that out but he managed to fling an unkindly spinning ball away while on the ground, with just enough height and force so that the other Derby striker couldn’t quite get over it and nod the rebound down and in. A brilliant reaction and a clutch save.

Summary in five words

Back PC in the summer