Derby County were back in midweek action as they made the trip to fellow promoted side Oxford United on Tuesday night.
Both teams went into the tie with almost identical records, as only one place and two goals separated the two in the Championship.
Oxford opened the scoring in the first half through Dane Scarlett, as his sharp movement saw him evade the defence and stroke the ball home.
After a disappointing first half, the Rams came out in slightly better form, eventually finding an equaliser through Nathaniel Mendez-Laing’s strike.
While both teams pushed for a winner, neither were able to find it and Derby had to settle for a point.
So with that said, here’s a look at the player ratings from the match.
Derby player ratings for Oxford
Jacob Widell Zetterstrom – 6
Jacob Widell Zetterstrom had very little to do in the match, with his kicking being on target when required of him.
The goalkeeper could do very little about Oxford’s effort that put them in the lead.
Kane Wilson – 5
Right-back Kane Wilson was back in the team at right-back and had a tough match at times, not always offering the attacking threat that he can.
Defensively he struggled against Siriki Dembele in the first half, but fortunately saw his counterpart substituted at half-time.
Eiran Cashin – 6
Eiran Cashin had a largely fine night in the backline, though he could have improved slightly when on the ball.
The centre-back did pick up a yellow card though, which means he is just one away from a one-match suspension.
Curtis Nelson – 6
It was a relatively quiet night for Curtis Nelson as the centre-back marshalled the backline well with little to do.
Callum Elder – 5
It was a difficult return to the team for Callum Elder against Oxford, who wasn’t quite at his best during the night.
The Australian international struggled defensively at times, often over-committing in challenges, while he also picked up a yellow card for demonstrating with the referee.
Elder didn’t quite add the attacking upside that the team needed at times.
Ebou Adams – 6
Ebou Adams brought his usual energy and work rate to the team, starting in the number ten role before dropping deeper in the game.
The midfielder did well in tight spaces on the ball but missed a couple of opportunities in front of goal to score.
Kenzo Goudmijn – 5
Another frustrating night for Kenzo Goudmijn, who just can’t seemingly get into away games at the moment for Derby.
The midfielder was hooked off around the hour mark after failing to make a huge impression on the match.
Ben Osborn – 6
A mixed performance from Ben Osborn, who struggled to find any quality in the first half, but did pick it up in the second half.
Some of the quality in his passing was shown after the break in a positive cameo he will be looking to build on.
Nathaniel Mendez-Laing – 8
The man for the moment, Nathaniel Mendez-Laing was the standout performer for Derby on the evening as he dragged the team forward.
His sweet strike from the inside of the box brought the side level, while he always looked the most likely to grab another in the game.
Corey Blackett-Taylor – 7
A positive showing yet again for Corey Blackett-Taylor, who is starting to build up some confidence and fitness.
The winger was direct in his play and caused plenty of problems in the hour or so that he played and may have felt unfortunate to be substituted off.
Jerry Yates – 6
A difficult night for Jerry Yates, who did pick up an assist for the hard work and little of the ball that he saw in the game.
The forward put in the hard yards off the ball but will have been frustrated with how little he was involved in the game.
Substitutes
Marcus Harness – 5
Marcus Harness struggled to get into the game after coming off from the bench, at times failing to keep hold of the ball.
Kayden Jackson – 5
Kayden Jackson didn’t quite get into the game and struggled to cause any problems for the Oxford defence.
Nat Phillips – N/A
Defender Nat Phillips only came on for a few moments as Derby looked to see out the game for a valuable point.
James Collins – N/A
Striker James Collins came on to make a late impact but didn’t have enough time to add anything of game-changing status.
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