Mart Poom's magic hands enabled Derby to maintain a firm grip on their road out of the Premiership relegation zone at Pride Park today.

Deon Burton swept home the only goal of the game after 20 minutes, but it was the Rams' Estonian keeper who did more than anybody to ensure his side started the new year clear of the struggle in which they have been embroiled for most of a difficult season.

Incredibly this was the Rams' ninth clean sheet in 13 League and Cup games - that they had conceded 32 in their first 13 is testament to the enormous influence of coach Colin Todd, whose arrival coincided with an immediate change in fortunes.

Poom stretched to save brilliantly from Mark Pembridge, David Weir and Duncan Ferguson and repel a second-half barrage from Walter Smith's injury-ravaged Everton, who were shunted closer to the bottom three as a result.

Burton's goal came less than a minute after Derby's number one had first been called into action.

Weir's initial effort clattered the crossbar and Pembridge's follow-up deflected off Taribo West and forced the Rams' stopper to tip the ball around the post.

Derby broke with the tenacious Seth Johnson stealing the ball from Thomas Gravesen in midfield and setting Stefano Eranio clear on the left.

The Italian whacked in a low cross which was cleverly dummied by Malcolm Christie and left to Burton, unmarked eight yards from goal, to dispose of the simplest of chances.

Everton, desperately in need of a new year pick-me-up after their Boxing Day capitulation to Coventry at Goodison Park, pressed in the second half, but Poom denied them.

Two minutes after the restart, Blues captain Weir bulleted a close-range header through a crowded box, but Poom stood up to the shot and deflected it out for a corner.

And 10 minutes later Poom saved Chris Riggott, whose kamikaze header across his own box gave Ferguson a right-foot chance from 10 yards.

The big Everton forward drilled his goal-bound shot and was beginning his celebration run when Poom dived to his left and somehow finger-tipped the ball around the post.

It was hard on the visitors, going through what their manager has described as the worst injury crisis he has ever known, who deserved some reward for their second half pressure.

But Everton were left to rue their missed opportunities, including one in the first minute of the match when Scot Gemmill whipped in a cross from the right flank which was inches from connecting to Ferguson's head.

After a rather rocky start Derby settled down into the formation which has served them so well in their climb away from bottom place, with West, Riggott and the returning Horacio Carbonari snuffing out most of what the visitors could throw at them.

Derby could have gone ahead on five minutes when Craig Burley flashed a right-foot shot wide from Eranio's cross, and again three minutes later when Eranio was just pipped to Johnson's through-ball by the alert Myhre.

Riggott also came close with a first-half header and but for Poom's brilliance, the Rams would have been made to pay for their early profligacy in front of goal as they came under an intense second-half barrage.

Weir - rather fortune to stay on the field after bringing down a clean-through Christie 10 minutes from time - had his chances, as did Pembridge and Ferguson as the Rams hacked and hurried the ball away from their box.

But the best chance of the later stages still fell to the Rams, with Christie clean through again before he was tackled while attempting to round Myhre.

Referee Alan Wiley waved away Derby's vociferous appeals for a penalty and the pressure increased further until the final whistle brought a huge sigh of relief from the black-and-white section of Pride Park.