Derby satiated their hunger for a win with a voracious first half as they dealt Championship strugglers Portsmouth a masterclass in finishing their dinner.
The Rams were winless in six and had only scored four goals in that period but first-time efforts from Kane Wilson, Eiran Cashin, and Ebou Adams in the first 30 minutes left the visitors dumbfounded – before Marlon Pack later scored an own goal.
If Arsenal’s set-piece coach Nicolas Jover is worthy of a mural then whoever is concocting Derby’s deadball tactics could demand a castle be built in his name. Or at least a pay rise.
Derby have now hit 12 goals from set plays after Cashin’s header added to their fearsome reputation. Last season they totalled 25.
Kane Wilson had given the Rams a deserved lead after eight minutes with a first-time finish inside the box after delicate work on the left by Nathaniel Mendez-Laing, who was a force all evening until he came off.
Paul Warne’s men got their customary set-piece goal with 23 minutes gone, as Cashin rose to nod home a corner, his effort bouncing cruelly over the jumping Callum Lang’s head.
Kane Wilson opened the scoring after eight minutes thanks to a Nathaniel Mendez-Laing assist
Eiran Cashin headed in Derby’s second – already their 12th set-piece goal of the campaign
Ebou Adams made it 3-0 inside half an hour after his first-time shot deflected off Tom McIntyre
And the Rams were in dreamland 29 minutes in as Adams scraped them 3-0 up, his close-range effort deflecting in off Tom McIntyre after Craig Forsyth had overlapped Mendez-Laing to drive in the cross.
To add insult to injury, former Pompey man Marcus Harness forced an own goal after 65 minutes as his cross was prodded in by a hapless Marlon Pack.
Pompey didn’t play badly and Josh Murphy peppered Derby’s box with crosses but Jacob Widell Zetterstrom was equal to the challenge off his line every time.
Paul Warne’s side go 14th in the table but Portsmouth risk falling back into the drop zone this weekend after their run of four games unbeaten was pulverised at Pride Park. They had only escaped it for the first time since August in midweek with a 0-0 draw against Norwich.
The last time Derby beat Portsmouth was back in April 2012 and that was to relegate Pompey from the Championship. John Mousinho has a job on his hands as his side struggle to acclimatise after promotion.
