2GS The Sunday Times February 13, 2022 11
Middlesbrough inflicted the heaviest
defeat of Derby County’s season on
Wayne Rooney’s team as they
claimed the spoils in what became a
grudge match.
There was no previous history of ill
will between the clubs until the
dispute between the Middlesbrough
owner, Steve Gibson, and his former
Derby counterpart, Mel Morris. They
reached a private agreement on
Friday over Gibson’s claim that his
club were owed millions. But with
that hanging over Derby, no
prospective owners have been able to
take over the club.
It made for a hostile atmosphere in
and around the stadium with a
heightened police presence, and it
was possibly a game too far for some
of Derby’s younger players. TheyBoro give
Rooney a
bruising
in grudge
encounter
were soon exposed when wiser heads
were required.
Liam Thompson, 19, had the
chance to clear the ball near the
corner flag but took an extra touch
and was tackled by Isaiah Jones.
From there, Jones whipped over a
fine early cross which 20-year-old
Lee Buchanan, normally a left back
but forced into playing centre back,
diverted past his goalkeeper.
In recognition of the tense
atmosphere, officiating was handed
to the Premier League referee Mike
Dean and he needed to step in when
Tom Lawrence, the Derby captain,
squared up to Marcus Tavernier.
Dean’s swift production of two yellow
cards was a wise move.
Dean needed to get involved again
after Matt Crooks’s studs-up sliding
challenge on Max Bird. The tackle
earned a booking and prompted a
mass confrontation. Rooney thought
that the punishment could have been
more severe.
“I think it was a red card,” he said.
“He is a top referee, so maybe he
missed it. But we always seem to be
on the wrong end of those decisions.”The game was then graced by a
goal of brilliance as Derby drew level.
Paddy McNair headed Lawrence’s in-
swinging free kick as far as Bird, 25
yards out, who found the bottom
corner with a first-time volley.
But two goals in four minutes right
on half-time decided the outcome.
First, Aaron Connolly spun quicklyon Jones’s pass and saw his shot take
a deflection off Curtis Davies and roll
into the opposite side of Ryan Allsop’s
net. Then, in the third of three
additional minutes, Jones claimed his
third assist as he crossed for Crooks
to tap home.
The substitute Duncan Watmore
added a late fourth to wrap up a win
that pushes Boro into the Sky Bet
Championship play-off spots.
Chris Wilder, their manager, was
thrilled with the display, but took
time to praise the work his opposite
number is doing in trying
circumstances.
“I’ve seen so many managers and
players take the easy route out,” he
said. “They’ve not done that, they’re
alive and kicking.”Star Man: Isaiah Jones (Middlesbrough)
Middlesbrough (3-5-2): Lumley 6 — Dijksteel 6,
Fry 7, McNair 6 — Jones 8, Crooks 6 (McGree 66,
5), Howson 6, Tavernier 7, Taylor 6 — Balogun 7
(Sporar 90+2, 3), Connolly 6 (Watmore 88, 5).
Booked Tavernier, Crooks, Howson.
Derby (4-4-2): Allsop 7 — Byrne 6, Davies 6,
Buchanan 5, Forsyth 6 (Ebiowei 83, 3) — Knight 6,
Bird 7, Bielik 6 (Morrison 66, 4), Thompson 4
(Ebosele 46, 5) — Plange 5, Lawrence 5. Booked
Lawrence, Ebiowei.
Watmore, right, scored Boro’s fourth Referee M Dean.Adam Lanigan
MIDDLESBROUGH
Buchanan (og) 15, Connolly 44, 4
Crooks 45+3, Watmore 89DERBY COUNTY
Bird 39 1defending in their own penalty box as
the away side cut through repeatedly.
On six minutes, Riyad Mahrez fed
Bernardo Silva, who took out two Nor-
wich defenders with a twinkle of his
toes and then hit the inside of a post
with a curling shot. Gunn was mightily
relieved that the ball bounced back
into his arms rather than into the net.
Ilkay Gundogan also had a couple of
opportunities as he spirited into the
Norwich box to make space for him-
self.
The first goal just after the half hour
mark was a relatively soft one. Kyle
BRENTFORD
0CRYSTAL PALACE
0Walker’s cross should have been com-
fortably cut out by Max Aarons, but
the full back allowed the ball to run
through to Sterling. In trying to make
amends, the Norwich man may have
got a slight touch to the ball as the
England forward curled it past Gunn
and into the net.
The difference between the two
sides was emphasised a moment later
when Norwich produced a wonderful
move, with Teemu Pukki in the thick
of the action, to carve out an opportu-
nity for Kenny McLean, but his poor
shot flew well wide.
Any hopes that Norwich might
establish parity on the scoresheet
were snuffed out three minutes into
the second half when Sterling again
combined dangerously with Gundo-
gan down the left. The German got to
the dead ball line and picked out
Foden, whose initial effort from close
range was blocked by Gunn, but
Foden reacted quicker than anybody
and his second effort dribbled over
the line. Norwich suddenly looked
exhausted and moments later Fernan-
dinho flicked on a Gundogan corner
into the path of Nathan Aké, whose
volley from inside the six yard area
clipped the top of the crossbar.
Guardiola’s men, unbeaten in 15
league games, were starting to look
imperious — none more so than goal-
keeper Ederson, who came out of his
own penalty area to cut out a cross,
then beat a Norwich player with a
swivel of his hips before passing to a
team-mate.
The champions grabbed their third
when Foden’s cross was met by Dias,
who beat Ben Gibson in the air. His
ball across the box presented Sterling
with a simple header. The visitors
were able to haul off a couple of their
heavyweights and bring on emerging
talent such as Liam Delap, Kayky and
McAtee, who was barged down in the
90th minute to allow Sterling com-
plete his hat-trick.
“The second goal was crucial. Our
moments were few and far between
against a team that controlled posses-
sion. If they are scoring wonderful
goals then we tip our hat to them, but
that wasn’t the case,” said the Nor-
wich manager Dean Smith, who must
prepare his team for a trip to Anfield
next weekend.HOW THEY STAND
P W D L F A Pts
Man City 25 20 3 2 61 14 63
Liverpool 23 15 6 2 60 19 51
Chelsea 24 13 8 3 48 18 47
West Ham 24 12 4 8 42 31 40
Man Utd 24 11 7 6 38 3240
Arsenal 22 12 3 7 34 25 39
Tottenham 21 11 3 7 28 27 36
Wolverhampton 22 10 4 8 19 17 34
Brighton 23 7 12 4 25 23 33
Southampton 24 6 11 7 30 37 29
Aston Villa 22 8 3 11 31 35 27
Crystal Palace 24 5 11 8 32 35 26
Leicester 21 7 5 9 34 39 26
Brentford 25 6 6 13 26 40 24
Leeds 23 5 8 10 27 46 23
Everton 22 6 4 12 28 38 22
Newcastle 22 3 9 10 24 44 18
Norwich 24 4 5 15 14 50 17
Watford 23 4 3 16 23 43 15
Burnley 20 1 11 8 17 28 14Brentford hold Palace after
Eriksen’s emotional entry
On one level this was an outcome
both teams could almost be pleased
about. Brentford, having lost their
past five Premier League games, were
glad to have stopped the rot and
Crystal Palace, less than impressive
on their travels this season, could be
relieved to have gained a point. For
everyone else, the contest was a
deeply underwhelming affair.
There was, though, one standout
moment and it came before kick-off
when Christian Eriksen, inset, walked
out to the centre circle alone, dressed
in black, the red and white club scarf
around his shoulders. It was highly
emotional. He applauded the fans
and smiled and the simplicity of his
unveiling spoke volumes. No one
needed to be told why this was
special. The whole world knows his
story and the fact that he will soon be
running out to compete for Brentford
eight months on from his cardiac
arrest felt barely believable.
He was not ready to feature against
Crystal Palace, however, more’s the
pity. What followed was desperately
ordinary.
David Raya, one of the most
creative goalkeepers in the division,
plucked a dangerous ball from the air
from a Palace corner and
immediately set an attack in motion
with his long kick ideal for Bryan
Mbeumo to run on to. It briefly felt as
if this could be an entertaining match.
The move petered out as much else
tended to, but Brentford are a much
more cohesive side with Raya, who
missed a large chunk of the campaign
with a knee injury, in it.
Sergi Canós delivered a beautifullyweighted pass for Mbeumo, who
really should have scored but instead
Vicente Guaita was allowed to
smother the chance. Jordan Ayew’s
miss a few minutes later was much
worse. Wilfried Zaha at least made
Raya make a save after cutting in from
the left wing.
The more clear-cut chances fell to
the home team and Canos
misjudged his header when
meeting Mbeumo’s cross
towards the penalty spot.
It was a highly
frustrating first half
from both teams and the
second began in a
subdued manner as if
both sets of players had
been told their performances
were not entirely worthy of being
labelled Premier League fare. Even
Conor Gallagher, usually a ball of
irrepressible energy, was subdued.
When Josh Dasilva pulled the ball
back from the goal-line it seemed as if
he was targeting ghosts, so few
Brentford players were ready for the
opportunity his ball offered. James
McArthur came off the bench to
deliver a shot on target that was
gathered in by Raya but at least there
was a touch of quality in the way the
midfielder tried to curl the ball
towards the far corner of the net.Guaita then punched clear as Pontus
Jansson’s header threatened to break
the deadlock.
Rico Henry pushed Zaha in the
dying seconds, but the force of the
shove was not sufficient for Simon
Hooper, the referee, to award a
penalty. The very last piece of action
was perhaps the classiest. Joachim
Andersen curled in a shot that
brought an agile save from
the excellent Raya.
Eriksen should be
match fit in time for the
visit of Newcastle later
this month. His arrival
cannot come soon
enough. How this game
cried out for the Dane’s
accuracy, incisive passing and
astute reading of the game.
At the final whistle, the supporters
were all so unimpressed they forgot
to make any noise at all.Star man David Raya (Brentford).
Brentford (3-5-2): D Raya 8 — K Ajer 6, P Jansson
7, E Pinnock 6 — S Canós 6 (S Baptiste 86min),
V Janelt 6 (J Dasilva 61, 6), C Norgaard 6, M Jensen
6, R Henry 5 — B Mbeumo 7, Y Wissa 5
(S Ghoddos 82).
Booked Canos.
Crystal Palace (4-3-3): V Guaita 7 — J Ward 6,
J Andersen 7, M Guéhi 6, T Mitchell 5 —
C Gallagher 6, W Hughes 5 (J McArthur 66, 7),
J Schlupp 5 — J Ayew 5 (M Olise 78), O Édouard 5,
(J-P Mateta 72), W Zaha 6.
Referee S Hooper.Penalty calls for a push on Zaha were ignored
Alyson Rudd
0
This was Brentford’s
first clean sheet in all
competitions since
they beat Everton 1-0
on November 28