Derby County's hopes of climbing out of the Championship relegation zone were shattered as they lost 2-1 against rivals Cardiff City.

Derby got off to an encouraging start as Jerry Yates latched onto a header from Callum Elder, drew aim and forced a smart save from Jak Alnwick. At the other end, Jacob Widell Zetterstrom had to be alert to make a save to deny Joe Ralls who had taken aim from 25 yards with his shot heading to the top corner.

From there on in, Derby assumed control and Paul Warne's side felt they had taken the lead when Yates latched onto a Craig Forsyth header to lash past Alnwick. However the offside flag went up sparking plenty of protests from the visitors.

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A brilliant tackle from Ebou Adams then rescued a dangerous situation for Derby before Kenzo Goudmijn saw a fierce drive saved. Salvesen was a real handful for the visitors and he soon connected with an Elder cross but he couldn't divert it past Alnwick.

Derby packed a threat from set-pieces and Corey Blackett-Taylor connected with a loose ball in the box when any firm contact would have brought a goal. Cardiff were much improved after the break and they forced themselves ahead when Zetterstrom fumbled a shot from Callum Robinson and the striker made no mistake from the rebound. And it was then 2-0 when Anwar El Ghazi pounced to round off a counter attack.

But Salvesen soon pulled a goal back when he headed Jerry Yates' cross beyond Alnwick and the Norwegian fluffed a glorious chance to make it 2-2 when he headed straight at the goalkeeper from six yards.

At the other end, Zetterstrom bailed Craig Forsyth out of trouble when his mistake handed El Ghazi a chance but the goalkeeper made an outstanding save and he was at it again when he dived to keep out Yousef Salech as the pressure continues to mount on head coach Paul Warne after a sixth straight league defeat.

Jacob Widell Zetterstrom: The big Swedish goalkeeper made a very good save to deny Joe Ralls in the first half. Dreadful for Cardiff's opening goal which proved a huge moment. Made a good save from El Ghazi later on and did keep the score down, but error was crucial. 5

Corey Blackett-Taylor: Played at wing-back which is an unfamiliar position to him especially as it was on the right-hand side and yet his best chance came from a corner. Any firm contact and he would have given Derby the lead. Went off injured. 4.5

Ryan Nyambe: A bonafide Championship defender and he showed that with his performance in the heart of the back three. A decent return considering he's missed the last 20 games. Must wonder what he is coming back to. 6

Craig Forsyth: The long-serving Scot defended with authority in the first half. Was probably marginally offside for the goal that was ruled out for Yates in the opening 45 minutes. Goalkeeper bailed him out for a huge error after the break and was not as assured. 4.5

Eiran Cashin: Committed the cardinal sin of passing square across his own defensive line and that nearly landed Derby in trouble until Ebou Adams came to the rescue. Still looks a bit of the way off fitness. 5

Callum Elder: The Australian produced one cross that was met by Lars-Jorgen Salvesen who drew a save from Jak Alnwick. Tries to do everything at breakneck speed a lot of the time. Looked to have picked up another injury. 4.5

Ebou Adams: You shudder to think where Derby would be without him from a defensive point of view because the tackle he made in the first half rescued them from a big hole. Tigerish from minute one to the last. 6.5

Kenzo Goudmijn: Dutchman was perhaps a bit guilty of taking too many touches in some instances, but he drew a good save from the goalkeeper in the first half. 5

Ben Osborn: Was made captain for the day and the boyhood Derby fan covered a lot of ground and delivered threat from set-pieces. Couldn't translate the quality from the first half into the second 45 minutes. 5

Lars Jorgen-Salvesen: The January signing was a real handful. Very busy, a willing runner and could have scored with a sweet first-time strike. Linked up well with Jerry Yates and scored a well-taken header. 7

Jerry Yates: Seemed to enjoy having a striker to play alongside given he is usually tasked with leading the line on his own. Had a snapshot saved early on. 6

Subs

Nathaniel Mendez-Laing (Blackett-Taylor 58): Created a good chance for Salvesen. 5

Marcus Harness (Elder 74): Found it hard to create. 4.5

David Ozoh (Goudmijn 86): Great to see him back. N/A

Kayden Jackson (Osborn 86): Barely had a kick. N/A

Tom Barkhuizen (Yates 86): Minimal impact. N/A

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