Welsh wonders lift Derby as Frank Lampard lands first home triumph with Rams

Posted Wednesday, August 22, 2018 by PA

Frank Lampard celebrated his first home win in management as Derby beat Ipswich 2-0 to defy the Suffolk club’s impressive run at Pride Park.

Ipswich had won on seven of their previous 10 visits to Derby but two goals in eight second-half minutes from Wales internationals Joe Ledley and Tom Lawrence settled what had been a scrappy contest.

Derby started strongly but the visitors were beginning to settle until a loose pass from Trevoh Chalobah allowed Craig Bryson to run in behind the defence on the right. Bryson delivered a cross that just evaded David Nugent who replaced former Ipswich striker Martyn Waghorn, named on the bench.

Ipswich found some promising positions just outside the Derby penalty area but the final ball let them down and the home side were also struggling to create openings.

Derby were forced into a change in the 27th minute when George Evans, on his league debut, fell awkwardly and was replaced by Ledley who was soon involved in a neat passing move that ended with Lawrence losing possession on the edge of the Ipswich area.

Ipswich’s Ellis Harrison almost seized on a misplaced pass but Derby fashioned a chance in the 34th minute when Mason Bennett played the ball inside to Nugent who turned away from a blue shirt before curling a shot narrowly wide.

Ipswich had their first effort on target in the 40th minute when Derby gave the ball away, but Grant Ward’s shot from the edge of the box was straight at Scott Carson.

Another careless piece of play threatened to allow Harrison to run clear and Richard Keogh was booked when he was forced to haul the striker over inside his own half.

The first 45 minutes had been low on quality and the second began with both teams squandering possession cheaply, until Derby took the lead just before the hour with a superb strike from Ledley.

Ipswich cleared a corner to just outside the area and Ledley arrowed a shot from 22 yards into the top left corner of Bartosz Bialkowski’s net.

Derby had a second goal eight minutes later when Lawrence was fouled a couple of yards outside the box and the winger scored with a low free-kick. Bialkowski got a hand to the ball but could not prevent it bouncing over the line.

It left Ipswich, who had rarely threatened Carson’s goal, with a lot to do and they never looked like staging a recovery as they lost at Derby for the first time in 12 years.