John Eustace admitted he learnt a lot about his players after his first game in charge of Sky Bet Championship relegation strugglers Derby ended in a thumping 4-0 defeat at QPR.
Ilias Chair scored twice, with Koki Saito and Ronnie Edwards also on target on a disastrous first day at the office for the new Rams boss.
Eustace raised eyebrows this week by leaving Blackburn, a side challenging for promotion to the Premier League, for one battling to avoid the drop to League One.
While Rovers lie fifth, Derby’s humbling in west London meant they slipped into the bottom three on goal difference.
Eustace, whose final match with Rovers was a 2-1 defeat at Loftus Road just 10 days earlier, said: “Obviously I’m really disappointed with the result.
“I learnt a lot about the group tonight, and there’s lots I’m excited about. There is also lots we can improve on.
“I thought we started well but the goal they scored knocked the wind out of our sails. Then we didn’t defend the box well enough for the second, third and fourth goals.
“We’ve got an exciting week ahead on the training pitch and lots to work on. I know this group of players is going to fight for every point and the hard work starts on Monday.
“I’ve come to Derby not just for the short term but for the long term and it’s my job now to give as much confidence as I can to the players. You can see they are low on confidence at the moment.”
Chair fired Rangers in front with his first goal of the season, a rocket from just outside the box.
A low cross from the Moroccan winger then landed at the feet of Saito, who lashed the ball into the roof of the net.
Eustace’s first half-time team talk needed to be a good one, but whatever the message was it failed to have the desired effect.
Just before the hour mark Chair had his second, and Rangers’ third, when he tucked away a cut-back from Tottenham loanee Yang Min-hyeok.
Then Edwards, on loan from Southampton, headed the fourth from Kenneth Paal’s free-kick as Rangers, who could be dark horses for the play-offs, wrapped up a seventh win in eight home outings.
“I liked a lot of things about the performance,” said boss Marti Cifuentes.
“We didn’t really know what to expect from them but everybody was so committed.
“Ilias Chair is one of the best players in the league. I’m glad he got two goals. He’s a bit angry at me for taking him off because he wanted a hat-trick. We are happy he is playing well.”
David Moyes believes James Tarkowski was lucky to avoid a red card for his reckless challenge on Alexis Mac Allister as Everton were beaten 1-0 by Liverpool on a controversial night at Anfield.Diogo Jota’s 57th-minute goal, which Moyes claimed should have been ruled out for offside, gave Liverpool a 100th derby win and moved them a step closer to the Premier League title, but both sides were...
Jack Grealish dedicated his goal to his late brother after scoring in Manchester City’s 2-0 win over relegation-threatened Leicester on Wednesday.The England international hit his first Premier League goal for 16 months, on his first start in the competition since last December, as City moved back into fourth with a comfortable success at the Etihad Stadium.It came on the 25th anniversary of...
David Moyes bemoaned an “offside” goal that gave Liverpool a 1-0 win over Everton – but admitted James Tarkowski was lucky to avoid an early red card on a controversial night at Anfield.Diogo Jota’s 57th-minute goal gave Liverpool a 100th derby win and moved them a step closer to the Premier League title, but both sides were left unhappy with decisions from referee Sam Barr...
Eddie Howe hailed Sandro Tonali’s shooting power after seeing him cap a fine display with a stunning winner to edge Newcastle into the race for Champions League qualification.The 24-year-old Italy international brought an incident-packed encounter to a fitting conclusion with a 74th-minute piledriver which beat goalkeeper Mark Flekken from an improbable angle to hand the Magpies a precious 2...
Aston Villa boss Unai Emery believes Marcus Rashford is “progressively getting better” in all aspects of his game following his first Premier League goal for the club.The on-loan Manchester United forward set Villa on course for a comprehensive 3-0 win over fellow European hopefuls Brighton with a 51st-minute finish at the Amex Stadium.Rashford’s milestone strike came three days ...
Southampton boss Ivan Juric vowed to keep fighting as relegation moved sharply into focus after Crystal Palace denied them only a third Premier League win of the season.Substitute Matheus Franca’s stoppage-time header, to secure a 1-1 draw for the Eagles, means Saints will be down at the weekend if they lose at Tottenham and Wolves beat Ipswich.If relegation is confirmed on Sunday, Southampt...
Derby boss John Eustace insists his side are reaping the rewards for the hard work they have put in since he was appointed as manager after the Rams earned a 2-0 win over Preston to climb out of the Sky Bet Championship relegation zone.Derby came out firing after a lacklustre opening period and Craig Forsyth coolly slotted the hosts in front with his fourth goal of the season.The Rams doubled thei...
Notts County manager Stuart Maynard hailed a “massive” three points as his side comfortably saw off MK Dons at Meadow Lane to maintain their promotion challenge.Two stunning strikes from David McGoldrick and Will Jarvis from the edge of the box, either side of Nick Tsaroulla’s close-range effort, earned County a convincing 3-0 win.“I think every three points is massive now,...
Kieran McKenna was not getting too giddy dreaming of a miracle escape from relegation after Ipswich beat Bournemouth 2-1 to pick up their first Premier League win of 2025.Goals from Nathan Broadhead and top-scorer Liam Delap did the damage as Ipswich put a further dent in Bournemouth’s hopes of qualifying for Europe.McKenna, whose side are still nine points adrift of 17th-placed Wolves who t...
Liverpool re-established their 12-point lead at the top of the Premier League with Diogo Jota’s strike against Everton settling a second controversial Merseyside derby of the season.Jota’s first league goal since mid-January was potentially one of his most important of the campaign as the 1-0 victory kept second-placed Arsenal at more than arm’s length.It also ended Everton manag...
- 1 Hot WAG flaunts 'astonishing' washboard abs in bikini
- 2 Danny Rohl hails Sheffield Wednesday resilience in draw at Cardiff
- 3 Alfie May double sends Birmingham step closer to Championship
- 4 Marcus Rashford scores first Premier League goal for Villa in win at Brighton
- 5 Ryan Lowe and Conor Hourihane felt team deserved more as Wigan and Barnsley draw
- 6 Mat Sadler hails Taylor Allen set-piece skills after Walsall snatch draw
- 7 Chris Davies says Alfie May’s goal drought never concerned him
- 8 Football fan 'eats' raw pig's head in ultimate insult
- 9 Marcus Rashford still looking to improve after firing Villa into FA Cup semis
- 10 Chelsea prepare €70m for Barcelona defender