Tommy Black grabbed his 10th goal of the season to keep Crystal Palace's faint
play-off chances alive and secure victory at mid-table Derby, who are now
winless in five First Division matches.
Black struck on 61 minutes to settle a keenly-contested match between two
sides who last played out this fixture in the Premiership in 1997.
It was a lively first half in which Derby, who have failed to make an impact
at either end of the table this season, almost took an early lead when on-loan
Everton striker Nick Chadwick headed against the crossbar from close range on
two minutes.
Moments later County were fortunate not to have goalkeeper Lee Grant sent
off.
He brought down Black outside the box after the Palace striker sprang the
offside trap, but referee Tony Leake only produced a yellow card.
Italian striker Fabrizio Ravanelli almost rubbed salt into the wound with a
header straight after the incident, but Cedric Berthelin saved well.
Palace then had two glorious chances to score. First Julian Gray danced his
way through the Derby back line before firing straight at Grant, and then Danny
Butterfield's 25-yard free-kick crashed against the bar on 16 minutes.
Dele Adebola was the latest player to have a shot at goal less than two
minutes later, but he could only steer Butterfield's cross into the arms of
Grant.
The frantic pace continued, and Chadwick again missed a great chance when sent
clear late in the half, only to fire his shot straight at Berthelin.
The youngster made it a hat-trick of wasted opportunities less than a minute
after the restart when he put wide from inside the area following a strong run
and cross from Ravanelli.
Those misses proved even more costly just after the hour when the visitors
moved ahead.
Midfielder Gray showed again why he is rated so highly at Selhurst Park with
an excellent run and cross on the left which Black headed back across the goal
and past a helpless Grant.
That was the last noteworthy opportunity in the game as Palace held on for
what they had, and Derby struggled to pierce a stubborn defence.
Teams
Derby: Grant, Jackson, Elliott, Mills, Boertien (McLeod 82),
Bolder, Lee, Burley, Murray (Zavagno 45), Chadwick (Tudgay 66),
Ravanelli.
Subs Not Used: Camp, Robinson.
Booked: Grant, Elliott.
Crystal Palace: Berthelin, Butterfield, Popovic,
Powell (Symons 82), Borrowdale, Derry, Mullins, Thomson, Gray,
Black (Granville 90), Adebola (Akinbiyi 24).
Subs Not Used: Kolinko, Routledge.
Goals: Black 61.
Att: 22,682
Ref: A Leake (Lancashire).
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