Derby overcome Burton to move up to third

Conor Hourihane (on the left-hand side) is seen rejoicing after scoring the decisive goal for Derby against Burton.

The League One table saw Derby County move up to the third position thanks to Captain Conor Hourihane's goal in the extra time. This was a hard blow for Burton Albion, as it was also Martin Paterson's debut game as their coach.

During the first half of the game, Tom Barkhuizen scored an admirable sliding goal, putting the Rams in the lead. This happened shortly after Burton goalkeeper Max Crocombe made an impressive double save.

Right after halftime, James Collins scored another goal for Derby with a header, but just four minutes later, Steve Seddon gave a great response and found the bottom corner of the net.

On a bitterly cold evening in the East Midlands, Joe Hugill, who is currently on loan at Manchester United, was substituted onto the field for his debut with Burton. Hugill managed to score a goal which leveled the score, however, Derby relentlessly searched for the winning goal. In the end, Conor Hourihane managed to do just that and it resulted in a jubilant atmosphere amongst the Pride Park crowd.

If the Rams had won by a margin of two goals or greater, they would have risen to second place. However, the Brewers skillfully prevented this from happening with a strong performance in the second half. It's remarkable to note that the Brewers were led by a brand-new, inexperienced manager who had only been on the job for five days.

However, Derby has managed to win 10 out of 12 league games, placing them at the same point as Peterborough with equal points. In contrast, Burton lost the game, leaving them at position 19 in the table standings with only a five-point cushion above the relegation spots.

During the first half, Derby consistently applied pressure on their neighboring team from East Staffordshire. However, they missed two early opportunities with Hourihane and Curtis Nelson sending shots over the crossbar.

Crocombe pulled off an outstanding double save to prevent both Mendez-Laing and Callum Elder from scoring in the middle of the half, but Barkhuizen secured a well-earned lead for the Rams after 29 minutes.

With impressive power, the midfielder managed to resist the opposition defender and deftly slide the ball into the net from the back post. This was made possible by the precise delivery of a low ball from Mendez-Laing that was perfectly measured in weight and sailed across the goal area.

Collins scored his 17th goal of the season with a header from a short distance, bringing Derby closer to the automatic promotion positions. However, Seddon of Burton made their first shot on target and the Brewers were back in the game. Derby was shaken by this turn of events.

Seddon made a crucial pass to release Hugill and score the equalizer, creating a significant moment for both himself and his new manager.

However, Burton's hard work didn't receive the point it deserved.

Barkhuizen made an attempt to score but his shot was diverted away, and Collins missed the target with his shot. In the end, Hourihane scored the winning goal by hitting the ball with a volley from outside the penalty area, as Burton was unable to remove the threat.

During an interview with BBC Radio Derby, Paul Warne, who is the head coach of Derby County made a statement.

For the first 50 minutes, we were doing well until we had a bit of a hiccup.

I felt like we experienced some ups and downs during the performance, which left me feeling let down.

"I have to give credit to Burton for making things tough for us. They defended deep and made it challenging to penetrate their defense, causing us to try and push harder to create opportunities.

It was awesome that the captain managed to score in the final moments of the game. I'm not entirely sure if we earned it based on the number of opportunities we generated, but at least it was an enjoyable match for those who weren't rooting for either side.

I'm guessing that those who didn't have a favorite team to win are pleased, but for me personally, it feels like I wasted three weeks of my time watching that.

During an interview with BBC Radio Derby, the manager of Burton Albion, Martin Paterson, stated:

Maintaining emotional composure is very important for me after suffering a defeat like that.

You are feeling really bad, but the good thing is that you are in Derby where there are a lot of enthusiastic people in the audience.

Did you notice how excited they were after scoring the final goal? Our team's effort had brought them to that ecstatic moment.

We want to win every game, and losing is not something we accept easily. This applies to both our team members and our fans. We have high standards and expect nothing but excellence from everyone involved. Losing can be discouraging, but we must use it as a learning opportunity and come back stronger. Let's all strive for success and never settle for less than the best.

We refuse to be a team that settles for anything less. No matter where we stand in the league rankings, our goal is to earn points and achieve favorable outcomes.

In the end, it's the performances that unites everything, and I must admit my team put forth their best efforts.

The game has concluded, with Derby County emerging victorious over Burton Albion by a score of 3 to 2.

The latter part of the game has concluded, with Derby County scoring three goals to Burton Albion's two.

Derby County encounters an offside situation as Liam Thompson is found to be positioned illegally.

Curtis Nelson, a player for Derby County, has earned a free kick within their own half of the field.

Joe Hugill (Burton Albion) has committed a foul.

Kane Wilson from Derby County has managed to secure a free kick on the right side of the field.

The referee ruled that Mustapha Carayol (Burton Albion) committed a foul.

In comes Sonny Bradley for Derby County as Tom Barkhuizen takes a seat on the bench for now.

Score! Derby County has managed to grab three points, scoring three goals against Burton Albion's two. Conor Hourihane, a player of Derby County, has scored a spectacular goal with his left foot from outside the box, making it hit the bottom right corner of the net.

The effort made by Kane Wilson from outside the box has been stopped by the opposition's defense.

The referee has signalled an offside against Derby County as James Collins has been caught in an offside position.

Blocked shot! James Collins (Derby County) attempted to shoot with his left foot from the left side of the box but was foiled. Conor Hourihane assisted him.

In the corner area, Burton Albion just gave up a point due to Eiran Cashin's error.

Max Bird (Derby County) committed a foul.

Mark Helm, a player from Burton Albion, has earned a free kick on the left side of the playing field.

A change has been made to the Derby County team. Tyreece John-Jules has been taken off and Liam Thompson has come on to take his place.

The shot from James Collins of Derby County was unsuccessful as it missed to the right of the goal. Eiran Cashin assisted him with a pass made using his head. Collins used his right foot to take the shot from the center of the box.

At the intersection of the field, Derby County gave up their possession due to a mistake made by Rekeem Harper.

The shot taken by Tom Barkhuizen from the center of the box for Derby County was saved by the goalkeeper in the top center of the goal. Nathaniel Méndez-Laing assisted Barkhuizen by crossing the ball.

The team substitution for Burton Albion is underway. Rekeem Harper is coming in to replace Beryly Lubala.