Derby County have kept their play-off hopes alive in the Championship with an impressive win over Fulham at Pride Park.
Derby’s Johnny Russell shoots at goal
Despite David Nugent scoring a hat-trick in Derby’s win over Fulham, it was Johnny Russell’s contribution that left Rams fans delighted on Twitter.
Gary Rowett’s men went into the clash with the Cottagers knowing that anything other than a victory was likely to kill their play-off hopes once and for all, but the pressure seemed to bring the best out of them.
Nugent broke the deadlock inside the first 10 minutes and put Derby back in front three minutes before half-time after Floyd Ayite had levelled the scores not long beforehand.
Nugent then completed his hat-trick shortly before the hour-mark to put the game almost beyond doubt before Russell scored his first goal since October to make the score 4-1.
After receiving the ball following a poor throw out by the Fulham goalkeeper, he moved into the box before drilling a brilliant strike across the goal, finding the bottom corner.
David Nugent celebrates scoring the second goal for Derby County
That meant that Ayite’s second was nothing more than a consolation. And as mentioned, while it was Nugent who won the game with his treble, it was Russell who took many of the plaudits amongst fans on social media.
The forward has struggled for much of the campaign, but appears to have been given a new lease of life since Rowett arrived at the club, and the confidence boost of a goal will surely help Russell make the kind of contribution in the coming weeks that will strengthen Derby’s chances of putting together a sensational run that gives them a chance of finishing in the top six.
Here is the best of the reaction…
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