Derby 3 Leeds 1: McDermott frustrated by familiar failings as McClaren hails Rams

Jason Pearce turns to celebrate his goal.

Counterpart and former England manager Steve McClaren was happy for his Derby team to take the credit after they recorded a 10th straight win over Leeds with a convincing victory at Pride Park.

Derby’s new head coach watched from the stands until midway through the second half as goals from Chris Martin, Johnny Russell and Will Hughes capped an impressive attacking display that was too much for Leeds.

Martin and Russell struck in the space of three first-half minutes to deservedly put Derby on course for their first Championship home win of the season and although Jason Pearce headed in just before the break to give Leeds hope, Hughes settled it with another classy goal 12 minutes from the end.

It ended a week in which former manager Nigel Clough had been controversially sacked on a high note and left McClaren praising the character of his players who had come back from 4-1 down to draw with Ipswich on Tuesday night.

McDermott, however, said: “You are disappointed when you lose the first goals which we have done too many times this season.

“In the last two games, we have let ourselves down away from home but before I turned up here I think we had 21 games away from home and won one.

“We need to get a mentality away from home where we are very difficult to play against and we weren’t today. This has recurred too many times, giving away the first goal and it’s something we need to look at.

“We played a lot of football in the middle of the pitch but you are judged on what you do in both boxes and we weren’t good enough in either.

“We need a winning mentality. When I was at Reading two years ago, we hardly had any points on the board after 10 games and we just clicked into place and we worked on that.

“We’ve had that conversation in the dressing room today and talked about that mentality and it’s not about hoping you will get a result, it’s knowing you will get a result and that’s where we have to get to.”

McClaren said: “For the character they have shown from Tuesday half-time onwards, the players deserve tremendous praise and credit. We do our work and prepare the team as best we can but the players have to perform and take responsibility and they did that in the second half on Tuesday and today.

“Staying upstairs gives me a better perspective on the game and I think that’s important early when it’s a new team, I’m trying to get a picture of this instead of seeing legs and bodies on the touchline.”

Derby County: Grant, Smith, Keogh, Whitbread, Forsyth, Bryson (Buxton 89), Eustace, Hughes, Russell, Martin (Sammon 82), Ward (Bennett 68). Unused substitutes: Jacobs, Deeney, Davies, Freeman.

Leeds United: Kenny, Peltier, Lees, Pearce, Warnock, Green (Poleon 62), Tonge (Diouf 76), Austin, Mowatt, McCormack, Hunt (Smith 62). Unused substitutes: Murphy, Varney, Byram, Cairns.

Referee: G Eltringham (Tyne & Wear).

Man of the match: Chris Martin.