Barclays Premier League
Gareth Davis reports from Pride Park Stadium
Derby's last Saturday home game of the season turned into one to forget as they fell to a 6-0 defeat against a rampant Aston Villa side.
Curiously, Paul Jewell's side had the better of the early exchanges but when Ashley Young and John Carew scored in quick succession they were up against it.
Stiliyan Petrov's stunning 45-yard strike made it three before the interval and the goals continued to flow in the second half.
Gareth Barry added a fourth, Gabriel Agbonlahor made it five and substitute Marlon Harewood rubbed salt into the wounds with a sixth.
Alan Stubbs was passed fit to return after his calf problem - and there was also a recall to the starting line-up for Tyrone Mears, fit again after two substitute appearances following a shin injury.
Robbie Savage and Tito Villa were also clear to face Villa while Dean Leacock was on the bench, and Mile Sterjovski missed out altogether with an achilles problem.
Both sides had chances in the early stages and perhaps the best went Villa's way on six minutes.
Derby failed to deal with a long ball, flicked on by John Carew, and Ashley Young found himself in space only for Roy Carroll to superbly block his half-volley from close-range.
But the Rams were having their moments too, particularly down the left with Eddie Lewis and David Jones, annd the latter was keen to move forward and set his sights from distance on more than one occasion.
Hossam Ghaly, again looking sharp in the middle of midfield, did well to create a gap for himself on 17 and he looked ready to pull the trigger before Wilfred Bouma got back with a last-ditch challenge.
Though the opening goal arrived seven minutes later - and the wrong set of fans cheered.
Ashley Young curled over a free-kick from a dangerous position in the inside-left channel and though Olof Mellberg challenged with Carroll, the ball sailed straight in.
If that wasn't bad enough, the lead was doubled seconds later.
Young was this time the creator with a darting run down the left and a low cross that Gabriel Agbonlahor couldn't quite turn in, but Carroll's clearance came out to Carew who drove it through a crowd of players from 20 yards.
Paul Jewell's frustrations were clear to see.
A third followed ten minutes before the half-time that was catastrophic from Derby's point of view but spectacular for those in claret and blue.
Carroll's clearance from the edge of the box had neither height nor distance, though when it dropped to Stiliyan Petrov on the edge of the centre-circle there appeared no danger.
But the Bulgarian took a touch on his chest before striking the ball sweetly on the half-volley and watching it sail back over Carroll's head and into the net from fully 45 yards.
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Stiliyan Petrov fires home his centre-circle stunner. Picture by EMPICS Sport |
The Villa fans at the far end of the ground had a perfect view and their excitement grew audibly as they watched the ball on its journey, and they were almost celebrating a fourth a couple of minutes later as another Young free-kick caused chaos inside the Derby box.
A good move earned Derby their first corner three minutes before the interval and it almost earned them their first goal as Darren Moore rose to meet Lewis's delivery but couldn't keep his header on target.
Not surprisingly, Pride Park was rather subdued at the half-time whistle.
The mood was almost lifted four minutes after the break as Kenny Miller and Robbie Savage combined to feed Ghaly, but the Egyptian rather scuffed his shot and it bobbled wide of the post.
Nigel Reo-Coker, Carew and Agbonlahor helped to send Gareth Barry though, only for Carroll to save with his legs, before Derby threw on Leacock and Robert Earnshaw for Moore and Andy Todd.
Mears reverted to his more natural right-back spot with Miller dropping deeper into midfield.
But it was four 12 minutes after the break. Young was given too much time to tee up Agbonlahor, who saw his effort saved by Carroll only for the rebound to roll invitingly out for Barry to fire home.
Martin Laursen rose to meet a Young corner on 63 minutes but out of nowhere the Pride Park atmosphere was rocking with three sides of the ground up and singing at the top of their voices.
The only set of fans not in full voice were the visitors, though they were willing to join in the Mexican Wave that swept around the stands shortly after the hour.
The football itself had almost become a bit of a side-issue for 20 minutes with Villa playing well within themselves and Derby struggling to make an impact.
That was until 16 minutes from the end when Tito Villa looked to have been fouled on the edge of the box but the ball dropped out to Earnshaw, who forced Scott Carson into a flying save with a stinging effort.
But then a long clearance from the England goalkeeper caught Derby out, leaving Agbonlahor to run on and find the back of the net from 14 yards for the visitors' fifth of the afternoon.
Patrik Berger, on as a substitute, almost made it six with nine minutes to go as he lined up a left-footer with his first touch that just slid past the post.
But a fellow replacement did stretch the advantage even further six minutes from the end.
Berger sent the pass through and although Marlon Harewood was heading to the right of goal he finished superbly well back across Carroll and into the corner.
The lively atmosphere of some 20 minutes previous seemed a lifetime ago with Pride Park emptying rather quickly - and the jam for the exits increased by full-time.
DERBY: Carroll, Jones (McEveley 57), Stubbs, Villa, Miller, Lewis, Todd (Earnshaw 53), Moore (Leacock 53), Mears, Ghaly, Savage (C).
SUBSTITUTES: Price (GK), Feilhaber.
ASTON VILLA: Carson, Bouma, Mellberg, Laursen, Barry (C) (Salifou 79), Young (Berger 79), Carew (Harewood 73), Agbonlahor, Knight, Petrov, Reo-Coker.
SUBSTITUTES: Taylor (GK), Routledge.
ATTENDANCE: 33,006 (3,074 visiting fans).
