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Derby satisfied their hunger for victory with a voracious first half as they gave Championship challengers Portsmouth a masterclass to finish their dinner.
The Rams were winless in six and had only scored four goals in that period, but early efforts from Kane Wilson, Eiran Cashin and Ebou Adams in the opening 30 minutes stunned the visitors, before Marlon Pack scored an own goal goal.
If Arsenal’s set-piece coach Nicolas Jover is worthy of a mural, then whoever is inventing Derby’s dead-ball tactics could demand a castle be built in his name. Or at least a salary increase.
Derby have scored 12 goals from set pieces after Cashin’s header added to their fearsome reputation. Last season they added 25.
Kane Wilson had given the Rams a deserved lead after eight minutes with a first-time effort inside the box after delicate work down the left from Nathaniel Mendez-Laing, who was a force all night until he came off.
Paul Warne’s men got their customary set-piece goal in the 23rd minute when Cashin rose to head in a corner and his shot bounced cruelly over the head of Callum Lang.
Kane Wilson opened the scoring in the eighth minute thanks to an assist from Nathaniel Méndez-Laing.
Eiran Cashin headed Derby’s second, which is already his twelfth set-piece goal of the campaign.
Ebou Adams made it 3-0 half an hour after his first shot was deflected by Tom McIntyre.
And the Rams were in dreamland on 29 minutes when Adams outscored them 3-0, his close-range effort deflecting off Tom McIntyre after Craig Forsyth overlapped Mendez-Laing to power in the cross.
To add insult to injury, former Pompey player Marcus Harness forced an own goal after 65 minutes when his cross was pushed in by a hapless Marlon Pack.
Pompey did not play poorly and Josh Murphy peppered the Derby box with crosses, but Jacob Widell Zetterstrom was up to the challenge from his line throughout.
Paul Warne’s side are 14th in the table but Portsmouth risk falling back into the relegation zone this weekend after their four-match unbeaten run was shattered at Pride Park. They only escaped for the first time since August in midweek with a 0-0 draw against Norwich.
The last time Derby beat Portsmouth was in April 2012 and it was to relegate Pompey from the Championship. John Mousinho has a lot of work on his hands as his team struggles to acclimatise after promotion.