Derby County ended their winless start to 2014 by squeezing past Brighton & Hove Albion in the Championship this afternoon.
It was a game of few chances at the iPro Stadium that was settled by second-half substitute Patrick Bamford's curling shot 15 minutes from time.
Below, Sports Mole dissects the action in the East Midlands as Derby keep pace with the division's frontrunners.
Match statistics
Derby
Shots: 8
On target: 2
Possession: 49%
Corners: 3
Fouls: 16
Brighton
Shots: 10
On target: 2
Possession: 51%
Corners: 3
Fouls: 14
Was the result fair?
A draw was the right result, so no. Neither side deserved to win whatsoever. Bamford took his goal well, but apart from that, there were only a couple of moments where it looked like there might be another goal.
Derby's performance
The Rams, who ended 2013 in scintillating form, were low on confidence after a winless start to the year and you could tell. Their free-flowing football from a month ago was missing even though they had their strongest-possible XI out. They scraped a win, though, and it was a lovely finish from Bamford. A much-needed three points and a game that head coach Steve McClaren will look to build on.
Brighton's performance
Unlike Derby, Oscar Garcia's Seagulls came into the game on great form. They had picked up seven of a possible nine points for an unbeaten January but lost that record today. It was a flat match from the beginning and Brighton never looked like taking a gamble to go for the three points, instead settling for a draw that they couldn't hold on for. Veteran centre-back Matthew Upson had the clearest opening of the match, but could only bullet his free header at Lee Grant, who made an excellent reaction save to push it over in the first half.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Richard Keogh: No-one really deserves this but we've given it to Derby skipper Keogh for a solid performance at the back, keeping Brighton's dangerman Leonardo Ulloa quiet all afternoon.
Biggest gaffe
It's harsh on Upson, but you have to say that he should have headed the Seagulls in front. It was a great save from Grant but he shouldn't have been able to reach it.
Referee performance
Andy Haines showed eight yellow cards in what was a bitty affair. He didn't have any tough penalty calls or anything like that to make.
What next?
Derby: Next up for the Rams is a trip to Blackburn Rovers in a week.
Brighton: The Seagulls are also in action next Saturday and host Leeds United.
Pascal Lemesre
