Cardiff City 4-0 Derby County

Published on: 02 March 2021

Leandro Bacuna had not scored for Cardiff in 34 appearances this season, before scoring twice against Derby

Cardiff City made it ten games unbeaten under Mick McCarthy and moved back into the Championship's top six by thumping Derby County 4-0 in the Welsh capital.

Leandro Bacuna's calm finish put Cardiff ahead, before Kieffer Moore doubled their lead with a header from a corner and Bacuna fired home a third.

Will Vaulks then smashed home from 25-yards in injury time to add gloss.

Cardiff's night was only tainted as Joe Bennett was taken off on a stretcher with a serious-looking knee injury.

The victory for McCarthy's side, who have now picked up 24 points from 30 since he took charge, moves the Bluebirds back into the play-off berths, while Derby remain 18th after a meek display from a much-changed side.

Derby boss Wayne Rooney altered over half his starting XI from the Rams' draw with Nottingham Forest on Friday and only one of those changes was enforced, with goalkeeper David Marshall missing out on a South Wales reunion due to injury, with Kelle Roos replacing him.

Rooney handed a first start to Everton loanee Beni Baningime, who started along with fellow January signings George Edmundson and Teden Mengi, while Lee Gregory and Louie Sibley also earned recalls as Nathan Byrne, Max Bird, Jason Knight, Martyn Waghorn and Colin Kazim-Richards dropped out.

Bluebirds boss McCarthy made two changes to team that drew at Middlesbrough, with Harry Wilson and Josh Murphy dropping out with Sheyi Ojo and Bacuna coming into a side full of confidence.

Derby's lack of familiarity was evident in the early exchanges as Cardiff continued the fine form they have been routinely showing since the appointment of McCarthy.

Striker Moore missed two huge chances in the opening 20 minutes, first firing over with a close-range volley after Derby dismally defended a long throw from Will Vaulks, before he headed across goal and just wide after Ojo had gone clear and seen an appeal for a penalty for handball waved away.

A goal for the hosts seemed inevitable and duly arrived midway through the first half when Bennett's perfect pass split the Derby defence and Bacuna ran clear before slipping the ball under Roos.

The Bluebirds were rampant and Moore fired just wide from 25-yards before a lengthy stoppage saw Cardiff defender Bennett taken off after collapsing, unchallenged, with what appeared to be a knee injury.

Aside from a long-range effort from Graeme Shinnie that Dillon Phillips palmed wide, the Rams barely threatened Cardiff's goal in the first period while the Bluebirds could and should have gone further ahead.

Ojo shot straight at Roos after a sloppy backpass and the goalkeeper then produced a fantastic double save to deny first Moore and then Bacuna's follow-up effort as the Netherlands goalkeeper kept his side competitive with a fantastic display.

However, any strong words from Rooney at half time became academic when the visitors fell 2-0 behind just three minutes after the break when Moore was given too much time and space to pick his spot with a free header from Vaulks' corner.

Moore has now scored 16 goals for Cardiff this term with eight of those goals coming in McCarthy's ten games.

Bacuna then tested Roos from a 20-yard freekick before beating him from an almost identical spot, when Ojo played the ball into his path, this time curling the ball home.

Derby offered little to suggest they could even score a consolation goal, though Phillips was forced to save Waghorn's freekick as a slew of substitutions stemmed the flow of Cardiff chances.

However, Vaulks fired home a fourth when Derby gave him time and space in the last minute of injury time to allow him to lash home from long-range with a dipping shot that just crept under the crossbar.

    Line-upsMatch StatsLive Text

Line-upsCardiff

Formation 3-4-2-1

1Phillips4Morrison5Flint16Nelson38Ng6Vaulks21Pack3Bennett27Ojo7Bacuna10Moore

    1Phillips4Morrison5Flint16Nelson38Ng6Vaulks21PackSubstituted forRallsat 87'minutes3BennettSubstituted forBaganat 39'minutes27OjoSubstituted forWilliamsat 87'minutes7Bacuna10MooreSubstituted forColwillat 77'minutes

Substitutes

    8Ralls11Murphy12Smithies15Williams23Wilson29M Harris32Bagan33Hoilett40Colwill

Derby

Formation 4-1-4-1

21Roos2Wisdom15Mengi16Clarke26Buchanan6Edmundson7Jozwiak34Baningime4Shinnie17Sibley19Gregory

    21Roos2WisdomSubstituted forMacDonaldat 70'minutes15Mengi16Clarke26Buchanan6Edmundson7JozwiakSubstituted forWatsonat 69'minutes34Baningime4ShinnieSubstituted forBirdat 69'minutes17SibleySubstituted forWaghornat 69'minutes19Gregory

Substitutes

    3Forsyth8Bird9Waghorn12Byrne13Kazim-Richards30Idem37MacDonald38Knight40Watson

Referee:Dean WhitestoneMatch StatsHome TeamCardiffAway TeamDerbyPossessionHome27%Away73%ShotsHome14Away7Shots on TargetHome11Away1CornersHome6Away5FoulsHome9Away5Live TextPost update

Match ends, Cardiff City 4, Derby County 0.

90'+4'Full Time

Second Half ends, Cardiff City 4, Derby County 0.

90'+3'goalGoal!

Goal! Cardiff City 4, Derby County 0. Will Vaulks (Cardiff City) right footed shot from outside the box to the top left corner. Assisted by Perry Ng.

87'Post update

Kornell MacDonald (Derby County) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

87'Post update

Foul by Joel Bagan (Cardiff City).

87'Substitution

Substitution, Cardiff City. Jonathan Williams replaces Sheyi Ojo.

87'Substitution

Substitution, Cardiff City. Joe Ralls replaces Marlon Pack.

86'Post update

Corner, Derby County. Conceded by Aden Flint.

85'Post update

Attempt missed. Martyn Waghorn (Derby County) left footed shot from outside the box is just a bit too high. Assisted by Beni Baningime.

82'Post update

Martyn Waghorn (Derby County) wins a free kick in the attacking half.

82'Post update

Foul by Sean Morrison (Cardiff City).

80'Post update

Corner, Derby County. Conceded by Joel Bagan.

80'Post update

Attempt blocked. Martyn Waghorn (Derby County) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked.

79'Post update

Beni Baningime (Derby County) wins a free kick in the attacking half.

79'Post update

Foul by Aden Flint (Cardiff City).

78'Post update

Martyn Waghorn (Derby County) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

78'Post update

Foul by Marlon Pack (Cardiff City).

77'Substitution

Substitution, Cardiff City. Rubin Colwill replaces Kieffer Moore.

74'Post update

Corner, Derby County. Conceded by Dillon Phillips.

73'Post update

Beni Baningime (Derby County) wins a free kick on the right wing.

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Source: bbc.com

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