Championship
Saturday 2nd October 2021
Pride Park Stadium
15:00

DER Derby

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SWA Swansea

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2nd October
Derby away Matt Grimes

Swansea City played out a fourth draw in the last six league games as they shared the spoils with Derby County at a sodden Pride Park.

Once again Russell Martin’s side bossed long periods of the game and dominated possession and territory without finding the breakthough.

Matt Grimes and Jake Bidwell went closest during the first half, while the Swans also needed keeper Ben Hamer to make a trio of terrific saves to deny Tom Lawrence at the other end after the interval.

Substitute Liam Cullen was then unable to turn in a wonderful cross from Bidwell during the closing stages as the Swans missed the chance for just a second away win against the Rams in 40 years.

Martin had brought in Joel Latibeaudiere and Korey Smith for Ethan Laird and the injured Olivier Ntcham as he made two changes from the midweek defeat at Fulham.

There were some encouraging signs in the opening minutes, with some good passages of play ending with Matt Grimes firing a left-footed shot agonisingly wide of the target with keeper Ryan Allsop beaten.

Derby away Joel Piroe

Almost immediately another chance followed from a quick throw, with Bidwell being denied by Allsop after Joel Piroe’s clever flick.

Piroe then himself worked Allsop with a strike from distance that the Rams keeper gratefully gathered, and the Dutchman was then prevented from getting away another shot by a last-ditch challenge after Jamie Paterson’s flick round the corner had freed him.

It was all Swansea, and Piroe saw another effort blocked after the hosts had gone to sleep from a short corner 20 minutes in, with Latibeaudiere then headed wide at the far post from a Paterson cross.

Derby had barely threatened, aside from one forceful foray forward and cross from Jason Knight, and they went in at the break having not had a single effort on goal, while the visitors had mustered seven.

The frustration for the Swans would have been that they had not made their dominance pay.

Hamer did make his first save of the afternoon with a straightforward stop from Knight’s speculative effort, but he soon had a more testing assignment to deal with after Tom Lawrence broke from a Swansea mistake.

Hamer parried the first effort, and then denied the Wales international twice more in the resulting scramble to keep the scores level.

Joel Latibeaudiere

Swansea responded with a good spell of their own, Latibeaudiere unable to pick out a support runner after getting into the box.

The wing-back then worked his way into the box again and had a left-footed strike blocked after a lovely side-rule pass by Grimes.

A free-kick from the skipper then sparked a game of pinball around the Derby area, but the ball would not drop kindly for a coral shirt and the chance was lost.

Paterson curled a strike just over the bar after Derby failed to clear a corner with just over 10 minutes remaining but the contest ended goalless.

Derby County: Ryan Allsop, Nathan Byrne, Richard Stearman (Lee Buchanan 38), Curtis Davies, Craig Forsyth; Graeme Shinnie, Max Bird; Jason Knight, Ravel Morrison (Dylan Williams 46), Tom Lawrence (captain), Jack Stretton (Festy Ebosele 64).

Unused Substitutes: Kelle Roos, Kamil Jozwiak, Louie Sibley, Louie Watson.

Swansea City: Ben Hamer; Ben Cabango, Kyle Naughton, Ryan Manning; Joel Latibeaudiere (Ethan Laird 61), Flynn Downes, Matt Grimes (captain), Jake Bidwell; Korey Smith (Morgan Whittaker 88), Jamie Paterson; Joel Piroe (Liam Cullen 71).

Unused Substitutes: Steven Benda, Jay Fulton, Liam Walsh, Rhys Williams.

Referee: Andrew Madley