Bristol City grabbed a injury time equaliser against Derby in the Championship but what did we learn from the game.
Bristol City drew 1-1 with Derby County thanks to a late goal from Aaron Wilbraham at Ashton Gate in the Championship at the weekend.
Wilbraham’s goal came in the 94th minute after Ikechi Anya had given Nigel Pearson’s side the lead after the midfielder capitalised on Aden Flint’s poor back header and scored the opener.
But Derby will rue the amount of chances missed and will feel that they should have got more from the game.
But it was the return of City goalkeeper Frank Fielding that kept the home side in the game, with the former Derby player making a number of saves.
With the game looking like it was heading for a 1-0 Derby win, putting an end to the the Rams miserable run of 3 consecutive defeats, Lee Johnson’s side struck in injury time, with Wilbraham tapping in from close range after good work by the on-loan Chelsea forward Tammy Abraham and Bobby Reid.
With City lucky to escape with a draw, we take a look at the five things we learned from the game.
1. Bristol City dominate possession but failed to make it count
Against Derby, City dominated in terms of possession, but failed to make their dominance count in front of goal.
While Derby looked like they were creating the better clear cut chances, the home side controlled the game, having 61% possession, with 17 shots on goal, but with only two on target.
In contrast, Pearson’s side had only 39% possession, with 11 shots on goal, with four on target, and it was down to the performance by the City goalkeeper that will stand out, having made a number of saves with the game at 1-0.
2. The returning Frank Fielding
Against Derby, Fielding made his return to the side after ankle surgery in April, and was in inspiring form having made three clear cut chances in the second half.
With the game a 1-0, the former Derby goalkeeper performed brilliantly, making saves to deny James Wilson, Matej Vydra and substitute Darren Bent.
Fielding was in brilliant form, so much so that BBC Sport reported that City manager Johnson said: “I’m so pleased for Frank Fielding. Someone said well done in the dressing room afterwards and there was a spontaneous round of applause from the players because they all love him.
“He is so supportive to the other players even when things are not going right for him. He has had a difficult year recovering from injury but looked back to his best.”
3. Johnson’s changes fail to make desired impact
Against Derby, City manager, Johnson made four changes to the City team beaten 3-2 at Sheffield Wednesday in midweek.
While one of those was Fielding in goal for Richard O’Donnell, which appeared to work, the other changes seemed to unbalance the home side, as they looked out of sorts.
But the it was the switch from a back four to a back three that appeared to cause the most discomfort for City, something that was changed a half time when Johnson brought on Luke Freeman in place of defender Joel Ekstrand, with the changes made by Johnson ultimately affecting the result.
4. Derby looked lacklustre in front of goal
Derby’s troubles in front of goal continued and now looks like it is becoming a real problem, Anya’s goal ended the Rams run of four league games without a goal.
But what is truly worrying is how lacklustre Pearson’s side were in front of goal, with a number of players responsible, having wasted opportunities to put the game beyond City.
While City keeper, Fielding, was in inspiring form, Derby had chances fall to Will Hughes, Wilson, Vydra, and Bent that should have put the result in no doubt.
5. While Abraham is key to the goals, they will come from elsewhere
At times this season, City have looked to reliant on the goals from on-loan Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham, but against Derby, the home side demonstrated goals can come from elsewhere.
Whilst Abraham was key to the play that resulted in the goal, it was midfielder Reid who provided the goal for 36-year-old Wilbraham to equalise and give City a share of the points.
While Abraham has currently scored six goals of the twelve that City have in the league, it is significant enough to create an impact, but not something Johnson’s side are totally reliant on.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
