Derby County welcomed Wolverhampton Wanderers to Pride Park in the Championship looking to continue their unbeaten run with a victory on home soil.
Rams striker Chris Martin put the hosts ahead with a memorable solo effort, before returning not too long after to earn himself a brace with an adroit header.
Wolves sought to get themselves back into the contest and they pulled one back through Benik Afobe, but Bradley Johnson soon made it 3-1 to give Derby a two-goal lead at the break.
Paul Clement's men started the second half brightly and went 4-1 ahead thanks to Johnny Russell, leaving Adam Le Fondre to grab a mere consolation for Wolves who eventually came up short away from home.
Relive all of the action with our minute-by-minute commentary below.
Good afternoon all and thank you for joining us as we bring you live coverage of Derby County's Championship clash with Wolverhampton Wanderers at Pride Park.
Both of these sides will be eyeing either automatic promotion or a place in the playoffs come next spring. Derby come into this clash unbeaten in their last five, while Wolves have also put together some impressive results to leave them with two wins on the bounce as part of a four-game undefeated run.
Following a rather leaky start to the new Championship campaign, Kenny Jackett's Wolves charges have conceded just once in their last four matches. Added to that, today's visitors have also notched an impressive six goals in their last 180 minutes of football in the league.
As for Paul Clement's men, they have also won their last two fixtures and know that both Chris Martin and Tom Ince have been firing somewhere close to top level over the past month or two. A win for the Rams today would lift them into a sixth-placed playoff spot in the standings. If the visitors were to walk away from Pride Park with three points, they would leapfrog Derby into seventh spot.
Wolves will know that they will have their work cut out this afternoon given that Derby hold the joint-best defensive record in the league. What will please Jackett, however, is that Benik Afobe has been able to end his goal drought and he will be looking to put some kind of form together heading into the winter months.
Time for some team news now...
DERBY COUNTY STARTING XI: Carson; Christie, Forsyth, Keogh, Shackell; Hendrick, Johnson, Ince, Thorne; Martin, Russell
DERBY COUNTY SUBSTITUTES: Grant, Bent, Baird, Butterfield, Weimann, Shotton, Warnock
WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS STARTING XI: Martinez; Iorfa, Batth, Hause, Golbourne; Henry, McDonald, Price, Wallace; Afobe, Le Fondre
WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS SUBSTITUTES: Ikeme, Doherty, Coady, van La Parra, Ojo, Byrne, Enobakhare
So Clement has named an unchanged side from last time out, and he will be looking for some positive attacking performances from Martin and Russell up top. Derby will also be reliant on the creative qualities of Ince and George Thorne.
As for Wolves, Afobe and loanee Adam Le Fondre start in attack. There is also a place for rising youngster Sheyi Ojo on the bench, who will be looking to impress following his standout showing against Fulham last month.
Here are a few images of some of the players warming up a little earlier:
.@dcfcofficial players are also out for the warm up, showing their commitment to @kickitout pic.twitter.com/JM4tIIVd86
— Keeley Baptista (@KeeleyTemple) October 18, 2015
Despite still being in the early stages of the season, this contest could prove important for both sides. They have some fixtures coming up against lower-placed teams in the coming weeks, and whoever wins today might be confident of putting together an extensive winning run throughout the autumn.
Bradley Johnson is featuring for Derby today, the midfielder will be making his 400th professional career appearance this afternoon...
We have about 10 minutes before kickoff and it is time for a prediction. Both sides have put together some impressive performances of late, while Wolves have also conceded just one in four. Goals have been a slight issue for Jackett's men, however, and Derby might just have a little too much for them today. I'm going with a home victory, 2-1 to the Rams.
The main home threats today will come from Ince, Martin and Johnny Russell who have ten goals between them in all competitions. As for Wolves, their top scorer this season has been Afobe and he has returned to form of late. The visitors also have goals from midfield in the shape of Kevin McDonald and James Henry.
Not long to go now and Pride Park is already rocking. Mel Morris has handed out limited edition scarves for season-ticket holders and the fans have raised their arms aloft to create a sea of black and white in the stands. It looks pretty special to be fair.
This is the first time that Clement has named an unchanged side since taking over at Derby. Could this be his preferred starting XI for the rest of the campaign? Let's see how they do today...
KICKOFF! Derby get us going in their black and white strip, while Wolves are in a weird tinge of blue. It is a settled start for the hosts who move the ball around the back with comfort.
Martin receives the ball in a deep position and his control is good. However, Batth comes out from the back to show some impressive strength to steal the ball away at the vital moment.
GOAL! DERBY 1-0 WOLVES (Chris Martin)
Wonderful stuff! Derby move the ball down in the corner before it is cut across the outside of the box to Hendrick. He takes his time to slip a cut-back into the path of Martin, who opens up his body and bends a standout solo effort into the top corner from a few yards shy of the area. Fantastic finish and we have a massive game on our hands now.
Wolves are just starting to get their foot on the ball for the first time and they look to move the ball out towards McDonald on the left, but he is flagged for offside despite having the whole line to look down.
The visitors do well to put some pressure on Carson with a ball into the box. Le Fondre puts some force on the keeper, who eventually spills the ball before being luckily awarded a free kick. Wolves are doing their best to respond after that stunning early goal.
SAVE! Derby win the game's first corner and the ball is cleared by the visiting defence. However, the leather drops to an on-rushing Thorne on the edge of the box, and he delivers a brilliant first time volley towards the top corner, only to be denied by a diving Martinez.
Afobe has gone down with what looks to be a troublesome head injury, we will be out of action for a couple of minutes as the striker recovers. Derby have made a blistering start on home soil!
Wolves need to do something to stop Derby controlling the midfield at the moment. Johnson is dropping into space and running the game far too easily. The visitors are looking to try some rather direct balls into Afobe and they are not quite coming off as he is stifled by Derby's defence.
Christie does well down the right flank for the visitors and he has the beating of his marker. Unfortunately, he cannot provide the required quality with his cross and Wolves are able to clear at the first attempt.
Henry finally gets on the ball down the right for Wolves and he is unlucky not to win a corner having beaten Forsyth down in the corner. Things have been a touch rushed for Jackett's men and they will need to get their foot on the ball for a bit longer before trying to push things forward. As it stands, Derby are beating away whatever is thrown at them.
GOAL! DERBY 1-1 WOLVES (Benik Afobe)
Brilliant! Le Fondre does well to win a corner from a ball into the box. The delivery is sent towards the front post, where the first runner produces a dummy to leave the ball to run into the melee in the centre of the area. Afobe is the real intended target and he bursts forward to lash a wonderful finish high into the goal past a helpless Carson. All from the training ground, that.
Wolves have some confidence now and they break forward through Henry who gallops into space out wide. The winger sends a good delivery into the middle of the area, but Le Fondre is just a few yards short of making the necessary connection.
Henry gets robbed in the middle of the park and Derby burst forward on the counter. Thorne aims for a through-ball over the top for Ince, who is eventually flagged for offside. Derby need to regroup and ensure that they do not allow their heads to drop. They seemed in total control before that equaliser.
CLOSE! Wolves come forward now and they might have done better. The ball goes into the middle where Afobe is causing all sorts of trouble in a bid to meet Henry's cross. The ball eventually drops for McDonald, but a Derby man gets in in time to make a perfect block.
GOAL! DERBY 2-1 WOLVES (Chris Martin)
Crazy defending from Wolves, Jacket will be furious. Iorfa is first to blame as he sends a poor clearance straight into the path of Johnson, who curls a fairly simple ball into the danger area in the middle. Martinez needlessly rushes off his line, leaving Martin to climb above his marker and send a simple header into an empty net. Great determination from the frontman, but terrible goalkeeping too.
Henry is doing all that he can to keep Wolves in touch as he breaks once more down the right flank. Again, he sends a fantastic whipped delivery into the middle, but none of his teammates are able to provide the run to meet his cross. He looks a tad irritated and perhaps the visiting strikers should be doing a little better to make themselves available in the area.
County are aiming for a two-goal lead by the looks of it and they move cleverly forward before feeding Christie down the right. His ball into the middle is a decent one, although Batth is able to clear for a corner.
Martin has seven goals this season now and he has been the major difference thus far. An early piece of brilliance and some sheer determination have earned him two goals in this contest. The next goal could be vital...
McDonald goes in a little too quickly and Ince turns sharply to win a free kick in a decent position just shy of the Wolves area. The winger stands over the ball before sending a curling cross into the middle, leaving Martinez to come out and claim with ease.
Clement will be pleased with his side's pressing going into half time. Russell steals possession out on the right, but Iorfa does well at the second time of asking to prevent the Derby man from moving free inside the area.
County are doing their best to take the sting out of things before the break. Ince hassles well over on the left this time to put Golbourne under pressure. They will be pleased with a 2-1 lead going into the interval.
Martin shows some adroit thinking now as he comes deep inside the Derby area to receive the ball. He puts his body on the line to take a clattering from Batth, earning his side a free kick to relieve any pressure.
Henry has been terrific for Wolves and he is at it again on the right with a marauding run forward. He has far too much pace for Forsyth and eventually wins his side a corner. The set-piece is a poor one, though, and the winger is unable to find anyone inside the box.
PENALTY TO DERBY!
PENALTY SAVED!
GOAL! DERBY 3-1 WOVLES (Bradley Johnson)
What on earth is going on here? Ince robs Batth and is then brought down by the defender to give Derby a penalty. Martin steps up to try and conclude a hat-trick, but he is thwarted by Martinez who saves from the spot down low. The resulting corner is sent into the middle, where Johnson breaks free to get a knock on a loose ball and eventually give his side a two-goal lead.
HALF TIME: DERBY 3-1 WOLVES
We have had a brilliant first half of football at Pride Park, but it really has been helped along the way by some shocking defending from Wolves. How can you save a penalty kick and then concede straight away from a regulation corner? Jackett will be livid, the visitors' marking for the third goal was rather questionable and Johnson should never have been left free to get his touch on the ball.
Martin has been brilliant and he has perhaps earned two of Derby's goals by pure solo skill. However, his second came as a result of some poor goalkeeping. Wolves would be level here had they been able to cut out some rather basic errors at the back. Batth has been a touch clumsy too and might have done better to challenge Ince without conceding that late spot-kick.
Wolves have been in touch for much of this game and Henry has been their key player down the right-hand side of the pitch. Had the visiting strikers been a touch more enterprising that might have grabbed another goal in the first half. All credit to Derby, however, as they have taken every chance available to them thus far.
Here are a couple of images from the contest this afternoon:
IMAGES: Here's a selection of the best pictures from the first half of #DCFCvWWFC at the #iProStadium pic.twitter.com/jya3eOC1hX
— Derby County (@dcfcofficial) October 18, 2015
This would only be Derby's second home win of the season if things remain as they are. Clement will be asking for much of the same in the second period, but Jackett will surely be reading his side the riot act following some suicidal defending.
The wings have been beneficial for Wolves in the first half and Jackett might think about introducing Liverpool loanee Ojo at some point. He impressed recently against Fulham and could add another dimension as the visitors aim to get back into this encounter.
KICKOFF! Wolves get things moving again and the ball is sent straight into Le Fondre, leaving Keogh to press forward and clear with his head.
CLOSE! Russell shows a standout turn of pace to push forward down the left. He drifts inside and into the area, where he sends his shot straight into the palms of a grateful Martinez in the Wolves goal.
Derby have started brightly and Hendrick cuts the ball into the path of Russell, who again has too much speed for his marker. The winger aims to shift the ball across the face of the box, but Wolves get a foot in to clear.
SHOT! Martin comes short now and he links up to play in Hendrick, who lashes a rather poor shot wide of the target from outside of the visiting box. Wolves are yet to offer anything going forward in the second half.
More clever movement from the hosts sees Martin drift wide on the right and he is fed in by Ince. The striker has Russell breaking free at the back-post, but he is unable to find the cross to meet the run of his teammate.
Derby have the ball on the edge of the area, where Hause piles in to concede a needless free kick. Hendrick is over it, although he sends his curling effort straight into the wall without being able to test Martinez.
Russell is running the show out on the left hand side and he wins a cheap free kick after a smart turn does for Iorfa. The ball into the middle never comes as Derby decide to play short and they are eventually pressed out of play.
GOAL! DERBY 4-1 WOLVES (Johnny Russell)
More woeful defending allows Forsyth to break in behind and send a ball across the box towards Martin, whose shot is blocked before it reaches the goal. The rebound falls into the path of Russell, who shifts his feet nicely to poke a strong finish past Martinez. Again, you have to question the marking of Wolves as Russell moved into the box unmarked to gobble up that chance.
Wolves are all over the shop. Martin is the architect this time when he cuts inside before feeding a free Hendrick inside the area. His shot is a little tame and the visitors are able to get a touch on it to concede a corner.
SUBSTITUTIONS: Two changes for Wolves as Wallace is replaced by Ojo, while Conor Coady comes on in place of Price.
GOAL! DERBY 4-2 WOLVES (Adam Le Fondre)
Where did that come from? Wolves send a simple ball into the box, where Ojo climbs to head back into the middle of the area from the back stick. The headed knock-down finds Le Fondre, who adjusts his body perfectly to drop a deft finish past the sprawling hands of Carson in the Derby goal. Game on, maybe?
What can Wolves do now? That change for Ojo has certainly livened things up going forward and the visitors have the most minor of lifelines. Derby are continuing to push forward and you would not put it past them getting a fifth goal this afternoon.
Some neat short stuff on the edge of the Wolves box almost has Hendrick in, but Ince cannot quite find the final ball as Batth steps in to clear.
Martin is still pushing for his hat-trick and he is almost helped up by Russell's ball into the middle, although Martinez does well to come off his line and claim to thwart any possible danger.
Almost! Johnson finds a bit of space in the middle of the area and he picks out a deft through-ball beyond Hause to pick out the run of Ince. Luckily for the visitors, the centre-back recovers just in time to put enough pressure on the Derby winger as he aims to shoot.
SUBSTITUTION: Jacob Butterfield comes on for Derby to replace Hendrick, who has been really impressive in midfield today.
Derby are not looking too troubled despite that second Wolves goal. As it stands, the Rams are within just a point of second-placed Middlesbrough at the top of the Championship table. Butterfield has been a tad clumsy with his passing since coming on, but the Rams remain in control heading into the final 10 minutes here.
SUBSTITUTION: Derby make their second change of the match as right-back Christie is replaced by the experienced Chris Baird.
CLOSE! The ball is stolen from the Wolves defence on the left and quickly moved across to Russell at the back-post. He steps free of his marker and is almost able to flick his effort beyond Martinez, who does well to save in the middle of the visitors' goal.
Henry has been very quiet in this second period and he just about sums up his half by aiming to win a throw down inside the Derby half. Instead, he simply kicks out of touch and the Rams regain possession.
SUBSTITUTION: Wolves make their final change of the game as Le Fondre is replaced by rising striker Bright Enobakhare.
YELLOW CARD! Enobakhare's first contribution is to go into the book for a late tackle on Russell on the edge of the Wolves area.
Ince is the one standing over the kick and he steps up to send a poor effort high and wide of the target. He has been a little quiet this afternoon, but was able to win his side a penalty in the first period.
Derby are still seeking to go forward when it seems suitable and Ince almost steals in behind the Wolves defence, only to be denied by the speed of Martinez, who races off his line to boot clear.
YELLOW CARD! Ince goes into the book now as he produces a late tackle to give Wolves a free kick in a dangerous position. Henry aims to pick out some numbers inside the area, but cannot find his accuracy as the kick flies over the bar.
We are going to have four minutes of additional time at Pride Park...
Wolves go for one last try as a speculative ball is lobbed into the middle of the box where Afobe and Enobakhare are lurking, leaving Carson to come off his line and gather. That is probably lights out for the visitors.
FULL TIME: DERBY 4-2 WOLVES
There we have it, that concludes Derby's best performance of the season as they pick up their second home win of the campaign. Wolves shot themselves in the foot on more than one occasion and the Rams made them pay. The three points now lifts Clement's charges into sixth spot in the table, which leaves them just one point away from second place. That is going to be all from me today, thank you for joining us!
