Goals from Fabrizio Ravanelli and Benito Carbone helped Derby to secure a crucial 3-1 win over Aston Villa. Ravanelli opened the scoring for Derby just before half-time, hooking the ball behind him to beat Peter Schmeichel from close range. Villa had dominated much of the first half, and Juan Pablo Angel equalised within seconds from a J-Lloyd Samuel cross.
Right from the off, the second half was a much more open affair. Rams' boss Colin Todd kept faith with his starting eleven for the second half, but Villa manager John Gregory surprisingly opted for a double substitution. Hassan Kachloul returned to first team action at the expense of Samuel after a layoff with a head injury, while Lee Hendrie came on for Gareth Barry.
Against the run of play, Derby regained the lead in the 67th minute when Schmeichel could only palm Ravenelli's right-wing cross to the feet of Carbone, who gratefully accepted the gift and shot home from six yards to score his first goal for the Rams. The Italian was duly substituted in favour of local boy Malcolm Christie. The 22-year-old nearly extended the home side's lead but his lob was tipped over by Schmeichel after he raced through clear on goal. Three minutes from the end, Christie secured the win for Derby as Villa pushed for an equaliser, stroking home Deon Burton's superb pass.
Filed by Greg McKevitt
