Derby County 3 Wolves 1 - Report and pictures

In one of the most one-sided halves in a Wolves game this season, Derby scored twice through David Nugent and Bradley Johnson and also hit the bar twice and had a shot cleared off the line.

Wolves were somehow only 2-1 down at the break though with Ben Marshall scoring his second goal for the club just before the interval.

Ivan Cavaleiro had already been sent off at this point for a headbutt off the ball, which drew few complaints from him or Paul Lambert.

Derby exerted their authority after the break when Craig Bryson made it 3-1 and Wolves couldn't offer anything in response as the game petered out.

Analysis

Don't worry everyone, there's only one game left.

Wolves arrived at Pride Park for their annual beating, which was every bit as chastising as the last two (4-2 last season and 5-0 the year before), despite the fact there was nothing riding on it writes Tim Spiers at Pride Park.

There were few positives to take from this, other than the fact Wolves avoided a proper hiding. Derby were so dominant in the first half they should have been out of sight. The fact Paul Lambert's team kept the score to 3-1 despite playing an hour with 10 men was an achievement.

But the manner in which the Rams tore through Wolves' midfield and defence in a one-way opening period was deeply concerning, meaningless end-of-season game or not.

The end of an underwhelming season cannot come soon enough. Since winning five on the bounce Wolves' form has again turned on its head with four defeats in six.

Motivation is clearly an issue, which is a surprise seen as so many of these players should be fighting for their futures. But only Nouha Dicko and David Edwards emerged from this with any real credit.

Again, you feel Lambert will have learned an awful lot about his players here.

The head coach made eight changes from the team that lost 1-0 at Huddersfield Town on Tuesday - the most he's made for a league game this season.

Only Harry Burgoyne, David Edwards and Ben Marshall kept their places. There was a new-look back four which included Mike Williamson, who replaced skipper Danny Batth, while Ivan Cavaleiro and Romain Saiss were among the players restored to the XI.

Scotland Under-21 international Jack Ruddy, who moved from Bury last summer, was named in a Wolves squad for the first time, while Bright Enobakhare was also on the bench after a long absence from first-team action.

Wolves have generally been impressive on the road under Lambert, winning eight of 16 matches, but they saved their worst half of the season away from home for their final away fixture.

Derby should have been 5-0 up at half time, but somehow Wolves escaped with just a 2-1 deficit.

The rampant Rams overpowered sheepish Wolves from the outset, with Tom Ince getting plenty of joy down the right against George Saville.

Ince tested Burgoyne early on with a curling shot which was saved but not cleared and then Bradley Johnson smashed one against the bar - with it bouncing just in front of the line.

Ince then got in one-on-one behind Saville but the makeshift left-back got a crucial toe on the ball to deny him at the last.

Just 12 minutes in Derby took a deserved lead when that man Ince curled the ball to the back stick where David Nugent headed home.

Wolves were struggling for air and Johnny Russell should have made it 2-0 after taking Ince's pass but fired wide.

Not long after Derby doubled their lead. Russell raced past Conor Coady and sent a low ball inside where Johnson had ghosted in unmarked and drilled past Burgoyne.

It was a torturous half for the 3,000 away fans who kept on singing regardless. Wolves were at sixes and sevens at the back and couldn't string any passes together in midfield.

Things went from bad to worse when Cavaleiro saw red for an alleged headbutt.

Wolves were rudderless and carnage looked like ensuing. Edwards had to clear a shot off the line after Burgoyne flapped at a corner. And then Russell turned the ball onto the crossbar as Wolves struggled to cope.

But from nowhere, just before half time, they somehow got back in the game. Dicko, who amid the madness was giving his best performance of the season with excellent hold up play, sharp passes and a couple of shots that whistled wide, got to the byline and crossed for Ben Marshall who slapped the ball home from 15 yards for an unlikely lifeline.

However it was a temporary smokescreen for what was to come as Derby eased to victory in the second half.

Wolves sat deep trying to contain the Rams in a 4-4-1 formation with Edwards on the right and Marshall the left, but it was passing practice for the hosts who simply had to use a bit of invention to make it 3-1 when an unmarked Craig Bryson fired into the corner.

Thereafter the game petered out. Wolves enjoyed a spell of possession and Bright Enobakhare looked lively from the bench, but neither goalkeeper was seriously tested again as the Wolves fans sang their hearts out despite the scoreline.

Key moments

8 - Bradley Johnson smashes a shot against the bar from 15 yards.

12 - GOAL - Tom Ince curls to the back stick where David Nugent heads past Burgoyne.

29 - GOAL - Johnson meets Johnny Russell's low cross and drills home.

33 - RED CARD - Cavaleiro goes head to head with a Derby player and is sent off for a headbutt.

44 - Russell turns Marcus Olsson's cross onto the bar.

45 - GOAL - Wolves are back in it. Great work from Dicko down the right and then Ben Marshall fires into the roof of the net.

58 - GOAL - Derby work the ball around the Wolves third and a cross drops to the unmarked Craig Bryson who smashes home from 12 yards.

Teams

Derby County(4-3-3): Carson; Baird, Keogh (c), Pearce (Christie, 68), Olsson (Anya, 84); Butterfield, Bryson, Johnson; Ince, Russell, Nugent. Subs: Mitchell, Anya, De Sart, Vydra, Bennett, MacDonald.

Goals: Nugent (12), Johnson (29), Bryson (58)

Wolves (4-2-3-1): Burgoyne; Coady, Williamson, Hause, Saville; Evans, Saiss; Marshall (Enobakhare, 73), Edwards (c), Cavaleiro; Dicko (Bodvarsson, 78). Subs: Ruddy, Batth, Silvio, Graham, Mason.

Goal: Marshall (45)

Red card: Cavaleiro (33)

Attendance: 31,051 (2,888)

Referee: Christopher Kavanagh (Lancashire)

Position in the table

15th (55 points from 45 matches)