DERBY obliterated a woeful Hull side tonight in a real Pride Park massacre.
Leonid Slutsky‘s Tigers will have come into the game full of confidence after whacking Bolton 4-0 last time out. But Gary Rowett and his Derby stars were bang on form, and the game was effectively over at half-time with the Rams 4-0 up.
And 13 minutes into the second half, the cherry was added to the delightful cake of goals when Bradley Johnson bagged his second of the game.
Former Watford striker Matej Vydra also finished the game with a double as Hull were effortlessly blown away by the rampant Rams.
Vydra put the hosts ahead in the 16th minute, and it was a beauty.
After Chelsea loanee Ola Aina conceded a free kick just outside the area, Vydra took control and whipped the ball past McGregor in the Hull goal.
Although McGregor took a slight step to his right, the pace on the ball would have eluded most keepers. But Aina made amends for giving away the free-kick that led to the opener, when he won his side a penalty in the 28th minute, and a chance to level things up.
Sebastian Larsson placed the ball down confidently, but the Swede, who is usually trustworthy from the spot, blasted the ball over the bar. It had his boss Leonid Slutsky with his head in his hands, but more important that that, it led to a Hull collapse of epic proportions.
Hull allowed Derby to play around with some intricate passing, and five minutes after Larsson’s miss, Derby were 2-0 up when Vydra grabbed his second with a sweet finish. And another five minutes after that it was 3-0 – and the goal was scored by an ex-Tiger to rub salt into the wounds. A corner was floated in and there was centre-half Curtis Davies to power a header past McGregor. Davies joined the Rams for an undisclosed fee on a two-year deal this summer. And the collapse was complete on the stroke of half-time. The ball was played across the box and Johnson, who is playing as the holding midfielder in the Derby line-up, ghosted in at the back post to tap home. You’d have expected the Hull dressing room to have been a frenzied place at half-time, and the players came out for the second half backing up that theory. And in the 54th minute they should have clawed one back. An inswinging ball was pumped into the box and Jarrod Bowen, all alone at the back post, somehow managed to head the ball wide. And Hull were made to pay for that miss just four minutes later as once again they gave Derby the freedom of the park. The ball came out to Johnson 20-yards out, and he had time to settle himself before arrowing a sweet effort that evaded McGregor for 5-0. The game played out as you would expect, Derby happy to pass it around, while out of possession, they were as content to keep Hull in their own half. Man of the match Johnson said after the game: “We know we let ourselves down in the last game, and we knew we had to put on a performance tonight, and deservedly we got a result.”
And fellow double-goalscorer Vydra added: “The gaffer has given me the chance to play in my best position, and now I have confidence, and will try to do the best for my team-mates.
“We lost 3-1 to Sheffield United then had the international break, but we had the chance tonight to get the confidence back.”
“We needed a reaction after the Sheffield United game and heading into the international game.
Derby boss Gary Rowett said: “Tonight I was really pleased, we did more than we have ever done I think, long sessions.
“We showed a lot more energy, I felt we pressed Hull when we needed to and some of our interchange and finishing was top drawer tonight.”
From The Sun
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