Derby County 3-2 Bournemouth: Tom Lawrence inspires troubled Rams to fightback win
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Tom Lawrence's brace took his goal tally to the season to four
Captain Tom Lawrence's second-half double helped Derby fight back to beat promotion-chasing Bournemouth and end a turbulent week in style.
Bottom club Derby kicked off 18 points from safety following a nine-point deduction, but went ahead when Jason Knight was left unmarked on the edge of the six-yard box to head in Max Bird's corner.
Jaidon Anthony slammed in an equaliser, despite Curtis Davies' brilliant goalline block from his initial effort, and Jefferson Lerma slid a pass through for Dominic Solanke to rifle the Cherries in front.
But Lawrence curled a fine equaliser into the far corner and then drove home a penalty for the Rams winner after Jack Stacey brought down Graeme Shinnie.
Derby's first win in eight league matches took them back to zero points after another chastening week off the pitch saw a second deduction in two months. It has left them with an uphill task to avoid third-tier football for the first time since 1986.
Knight's early opener confirmed Wayne Rooney's vow that Derby had plenty of fight left in them, but it was also helped by unusually slack defending from a Bournemouth side that had conceded just one goal in their previous eight away league games this season.
The equaliser for Scott Parker's men came gift-wrapped after a defensive slapstick moment when goalkeeper Kelle Roos gave the ball away in his own box. But their second before half-time capped a superb team move and allowed Solanke to equal his best-ever goalscoring season - in November - with his 15th of the campaign.
Lerma should have added a third before the break, but headed wide from eight yards and they paid a hefty price as Lawrence struck twice in seven minutes. The 69th-minute second, though, came with some controversy as a possible offside in the build-up to the penalty went unnoticed.
Philip Billing headed a good chance wide as Bournemouth pressed for an equaliser, but having gone 15 matches unbeaten, they fell to a second defeat in their last three. The Cherries remain second in the table, a point behind Fulham, but still eight ahead of third-placed West Brom.
A fourth win of the season leaves Derby 15 points from safety and 11 adrift of second-bottom Barnsley.
Derby County manager Wayne Rooney:
"We have to be realistic - it's a small chance but, for as long as there's an opportunity, we will be giving it a try.
"We're not just going to come into training for the sake of it and we will continue to fight on the pitch to get as many points as we can.
"There's a chance we can perform a miracle, which I feel it would be if we stay up.
"I have never doubted the players in terms of character, attitude and energy and, when we are on it, we can compete with any team in this league."
Bournemouth boss Scott Parker told BBC Radio Solent:
"I thought we were poor all round today. Out of possession I thought we were poor, in possession even more so. We didn't show our way today, didn't control the game enough with the ball which turned the game into a bit of a basketball match.
"They got in front and we reacted the right way, 2-1, and the crowd were going the other way, but we generated that atmosphere really because of the way we played, we didn't control the ball.
"We made the game frantic and made the game exactly as they needed it at that moment, gave them an opportunity and didn't really stamp our authority.
"These days do happen, but we need to learn from it and we need to understand it and we need to get better at that."