Derby beat Bristol City 5-0 at Ashton Gate to leapfrog their opponents and move into the Championship play-offs.
Rhian Brewster, Ben Brereton-Diaz and Bobby Clarke scored in the first half, with Patrick Agyeman and Lars-Jorgen Salvesen also adding points as the rising Rams recorded their third win in four games.
The closure of the M5 throughout the afternoon caused traffic congestion in and around Bristol, with some City players arriving 30 minutes before kick-off.
However, it looked like the whole team was at fault as Derby took advantage of some woeful defending to build a commanding lead at half-time.
The visitors took the lead in the 13th minute when Callum Elder’s cross from the left was met by a free Brewster who volleyed low with his right foot past Radek Vitek from 12 yards out.
Before City could recover, they were caught up at the back and Clark’s pass set up Breton Dias, who fired a shot past a defender from a narrow angle in the 16th minute.
The Rams created almost all of their chances, with Breton Diaz heading just wide of the target from a corner kick in the 32nd minute.
Derby then made a quick break and Breton Dias fed in a pass from the right, bursting through City’s non-existent backline and calmly slotting past the exposed Vitek with his left foot to make it 3-0 after 36 minutes.
After the third goal, San Bell put the ball in the back of the net for City, but he was ruled offside early in the game, sparking frustration among the home fans.
When the half-time whistle blew, boos echoed around Ashton Gate.
Manager Gerhard Struber responded by bringing on Sinclair Armstrong and Neto Borges for Mark Sykes and Bell at the start of the second half, and when those changes made little difference, the head coach debuted striker Delano Burksorg, on loan from Middlesbrough, in place of Scott Twine in the 63rd minute.
But Derby remained in control and scored their fourth goal in the 66th minute when Agyemang perfectly outclassed George Tanner and headed home.
Rams manager John Eustace had the luxury of replacing all four scorers in the closing stages, giving the debut of new signing Jadon Bunnell on loan from Burnley and bringing on former City player Andreas Wijmann.
Armstrong and Bergsorg fired wide shots for the winning goal, but it was a rare moment of trouble for the Rams.
Derby’s fifth goal was thwarted by Rob Dickie’s last-minute intervention when he hit substitute Owen Eames’ shot against the crossbar, but it was only a matter of time before Salvesen completed the rout with a Wyman cross from inside the six-yard box with two minutes remaining.
managers
Gerhard Struber of Bristol City:
“We were unprepared in every aspect, from the first second to the last. Derby did a great job against us in every aspect. They were one step ahead, they were fast, and we were second best in physical confrontations.”
“In that direction, if you can’t build resilience, you can’t win games or be at the helm. Today wasn’t our day, it wasn’t our standard.”
John Eustace of Derby:
“It was a great performance. We play against a very top team, but we were very clinical and I was really happy.
“It could have been easy to win more games at home this season, but we continue to work hard, we are a very tight group in the dressing room and we have 16 big games coming up.
“The first goal is always to get 50 points and now we’re five points away from that. It’s about progress and rebuilding this football club and we’ve got a great group of players there.”
