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Swansea logo
Championship | Gameweek 45
May 1, 2021 at 3pm UK
Liberty Stadium
Derby logo

Swansea
2 - 1
Derby

Whittaker (63'), Roberts (66')
Whittaker (62'), Lowe (67')
FT(HT: 0-0)
Lawrence (48')
Byrne (26')

Swansea 2-1 Derby: Wayne Rooney's side face nail-biting final day

Swansea 2-1 Derby: Wayne Rooney's side face nail-biting final day
© Reuters
The Rams were beaten 2-1 at Swansea.

Derby's fight for Sky Bet Championship safety will go to the final day of the season after Swansea came from behind to inflict a 2-1 defeat on Wayne Rooney's side.

The Rams were on course to beat the drop after Tom Lawrence's header at the start of the second half gave them the advantage in Wales.

But a quickfire comeback sparked by Derby academy product Morgan Whittaker and completed by Connor Roberts condemned Rooney to a sixth successive defeat.

Safety is still in Derby's hands but they are hovering dangerously close to the bottom three ahead of next weekend's final fixtures.

The Rams currently sit three points clear of the relegation zone, but Rotherham could close that gap if they win their game in hand against Luton on Tuesday.

Derby's fears of dropping down to the third tier of English football for the first time in 35 years are edging closer to reality.

Rooney made a single change to his team from the home defeat to Birmingham, with the inclusion of Polish winger Kamil Jozwiak in place of Lee Buchanan.

Swansea head coach Steve Cooper made five changes to his side, bringing in Whittaker and resting star man Andre Ayew. There were also recalls for Yan Dhanda, Korey Smith, Ryan Bennett and Roberts.

Derby almost got off to a nightmare start when Nathan Byrne failed to control a clearance on the halfway line. Jamal Lowe burst clear, with only Jozwiak tracking back, but his pass to the supporting Whittaker was too heavy to control.

Derby right-back Byrne was booked for a late aerial challenge on Lowe after 26 minutes and could have been shown a second yellow card with three minutes of the half remaining after another crunching challenge on his former Wigan team-mate.

The defender escaped further punishment as the first half ended without a goal but the deadlock was broken after two minutes of the second period.

Byrne had a dangerous cross half cleared back to his feet before curling in another towards the back post, where Lawrence got in front of his Wales colleague Roberts to head into the bottom corner.

However, Morgan sparked the rapid turnaround after 63 minutes.

A deep cross from Dhanda found Ben Cabango at the back post and Whittaker latched on to his cushioned header and squeezed a header of his own over the goal line despite the efforts of Kelle Roos.

The Derby collapse continued two minutes later after an expertly flighted pass from Matt Grimes picked out Roberts, who side-footed home a volley from the edge of the six-yard box for what proved to be the winning goal.

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Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Leeds UnitedLeeds422513482295388
2Burnley422416257134488
3Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd42267957332483
4Sunderland422113857381976
5Bristol City421616105445964
6Coventry CityCoventry42189155954563
7West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom4214181051391260
8Middlesbrough421791661511060
9Millwall421612144141060
10Blackburn RoversBlackburn42168184545056
11Watford42168185055-556
12Swansea CitySwansea42159184551-654
13Norwich CityNorwich421314156358553
14Sheffield WednesdaySheff Weds421411175664-853
15Queens Park RangersQPR421214164955-650
16Preston North EndPreston421019134351-849
17Oxford UnitedOxford Utd421212184360-1748
18Stoke CityStoke421114174354-1147
19Portsmouth421210205066-1646
20Hull City421112194150-945
21Derby CountyDerby421110214454-1043
22Cardiff CityCardiff42915184566-2142
23Luton TownLuton421010223763-2640
24Plymouth ArgylePlymouth42913204482-3840


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