Derby County (1) 2-1 (1) Plymouth Argyle0-1 Alan Judge penalty (17)
1-1 Jake Buxton (40)
2-1 Miles Addison (90)
Pride Park Stadium, Derby: 26,186
Stephen Bywater [5] – GK – contributed to a terrible, mistake ridden first half defensively with hesitation and indecision. Nearly gave a goal away when his kick went straight to an Argyle player about 35 yards out.
Paul Connolly [7] – RB – a much improved performance so maybe the captaincy was a burden too far. Tackled well, passed better than his defensive colleagues, and contributed going forward.
Miles Addison [6] – CB(R) – not a confident performance at the back but generally won his tackles and headers. Brought the ball forward out of defence. Always looked a threat from corners and free-kicks and scored a dramatic late winner with a far post header. Unlucky not to score when a looping header was headed off the line by Karl Duguid in the first half.
Jake Buxton [5] – CB(L) – despite stabbing home Robbie Savage’s shot for the equaliser, Buxton had a shocking first half. Caught out frequently when Alan Judge or Jamie Mackie ran at him with pace, he should’ve done better in the build up to Argyle’s goal and dived in rashly to concede the penalty. Very strong in the air, winning all his headers. Some casual passing at times conceded possession and nearly cost a couple of goals. Like Addison, always dangerous when going up for corners and free-kicks.
Dean Moxey [6] – LB – not at his best, some erratic passing gave the ball away too often, inviting Argyle to attack. Should have done better in the build up to Argyle’s penalty. Strong in the tackle and in the air. Linked well with Gary Teale going forward.
Lee Croft [5] – RM – struggled to get into the game and make any impression. Didn’t see much of the ball and, when he did, his crosses were poor and very easy for Romain Larrieu in the Argyle goal. Substituted on 72 minutes and could have no complaints.
Jake Livermore [5] – CM(R) – the game bypassed him by for the opening 20 minutes but he started to get more involved as the game wore on and he got used to the system the Rams were playing. Did a lot of running, chasing the ball from Argyle player to Argyle player. When he had the ball he passed with quality and showed some skilful touches. Had a good opportunity to score, but needed to shoot first time instead of taking a touch. Didn’t support Croft anywhere near enough and clearly wasn’t used to playing a role in a midfield triangle.
Robbie Savage [6] – CM – a hot and cold game from the Rams captain. The good saw him play a vital part in the equaliser with a shot from outside the penalty area that Buxton stabbed home, and also saw a fantastic sprint from the halfway line late in the second half to catch up with Mackie and deny a second Argyle goal with a brilliant sliding block. The bad saw some poor passing and nearly conceding a goal when getting caught in possession deep in his own half. Showed his leadership qualities throughout a difficult game for the Rams.
Stephen Pearson [5] – CM(L) – a passenger for large parts of the game, he struggled to get involved and saw little of the ball. Did make one great run from inside his own half through the heart of Argyle’s defence but needed to either shoot himself or provide a better pass for Teale. Could’ve had no complaints if Paul Green had substituted him instead of Livermore.
Gary Teale [8] – LM – the one bright spark for the Rams in a very disappointing first half. Always wanting the ball, he saw plenty of it and looked dangerous with direct runs at pace and good crosses into the penalty area. Not afraid to shoot himself either. Delivered quality corners that could easily have produced more than just the one goal – Addison’s late, late winner. Switched to the right wing when Kris Commons came on.
Steve Davies [5] – SC – worked hard but once again showed that he isn’t the player to play a lone striker target man role. Unable to hold the ball and link play which, again, contributed to Argyle winning possession far too easily. Unlucky not to score with a good first half header. Even more unfortunate to be stretchered off on 53 minutes with a nasty looking injury.
Substitutes:
Rob Hulse [8] – SC (for Davies, 53) – came on after Davies’ unfortunate injury and immediately changed the game with his ability to play the lone striker target man role. He made the right runs, he made a nuisance of himself, he held the ball up well and linked play. This directly led to a 15-minute spell when the Rams dominated possession and camped out in Argyle’s half. Unlucky not to score when a header went narrowly wide.
Kris Commons [6] – LM (for Croft, 72) – worked hard and created some havoc by chasing lost causes down the left flank, but generally didn’t see enough of the ball to be an attacking threat. Still doesn’t look match fit.
Paul Green [n/a] – CM(R) (for Livermore, 84) – not on the pitch long enough to make any real impact.
Subs not used: Saul Deeney, Jay McEveley, Dean Leacock, Shaun Barker...