Derby Suffer Brighton Defeat

Brighton and Hove Albion beat Derby County 2-0 at the Amex Community Stadium with goals from Inigo Calderon and Ashley Barnes securing the points. After a bright opening The Rams found themselves behind when Calderon headed home after ten minutes. Whilst the home side dominated possession Derby had their chances but couldn`t take advantage before Ashley Barnes swept home from close range twenty minutes into the second period. Derby kept going and Jeff Hendrick and Paul Green came close in the closing stages but Nigel Clough`s side fell to their first defeat in three matches.

Nathan Tyson went close early on when he escaped the attentions of two defenders before firing narrowly wide of the goal before Jeff Hendrick hit a curling effort straight at Peter Brezovan in the Brighton goal from the edge of the area. The home side came back at The Rams with Ashley Barnes having a low shot blocked by Tom Naylor before Inigo Calderon headed past Frank Fielding from the corner to give his side the lead on ten minutes. James Bailey fired wired of the mark moments later as Derby looked to get straight back into the match and Tyson got onto the end of a Naylor cross but his volley was comfortably saved by Brezovan.

Jake Buxton got his head to a Bailey corner only to see his effort touched over the top before Brighton broke away from the resulting corner with Kazenga Lua Lua escaping only to see his effort being turned away by Fielding. Steve Davies had the last effort of note before the break when he beat Gordon Greer and ran at goal but the Scottish defender got back to block his effort before Davies` follow up was off target.

Buxton was proving a handful in the air and his header was the first effort of the second period but it dropped over the crossbar and Paul Green then headed wide of the near post from a Robinson cross as Derby got on top in the opening minutes. Lewis Dunk was first to a Lua Lua cross but Jason Shackell was back to clear off the line before Vicente went on a run beating three players and setting up Lua Lua but Fielding was equal to the effort and tipped it over the top at the expense of the corner.

Lua Lua jinked his way past Naylor but substitute Craig Mackail-Smith couldn`t get his header on target. The same player then combined well with Vicente before pulling the ball back to Barnes and he swept home from close range to put his side 2-0 ahead. Vicente was enjoying his evening and had two further efforts, cutting in from the right before firing wide of the target and then beating three defenders before crashing an effort against the bar. Jeff Hendrick had an effort touched wide by Brezovan after a neat ball from Callum Ball and Paul Green chipped an effort just over as The Rams looked to pull one back. Craig Noone set up Mackail-Smith in the closing moments but Fielding turned the effort away as Brighton claimed the win.

Derby County: Fielding; Naylor, Buxton, Shackell, Roberts; Green, Hendrick, Bailey (Carroll 66); Tyson (B. Davies 68), Robinson, S. Davies (Ball 80).

Subs Not Used: Severn, Connolly.

Brighton and Hove Albion: Brezovan; Calderon, Greer, Dunk, Mattock; Bridcutt, Navarro, Vicente (Razak 82), Lua Lua (Noone 80); Barnes, Vokes (Mackail-Smith 60).

Subs Not Used: Ankergren, Vincelot.

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