Derby County suffered their fifth successive Championship defeat and were denied the chance to move clear of the relegation zone following a 1-0 loss at home to promotion-chasing Sunderland.

With Eiran Cashin and Curtis Nelson unavailable, Paul Warne was forced to make a couple of changes to his side. Ben Osborn also dropped out of the XI, with Craig Forsyth, Liam Thompson and Marcus Harness coming in.

Although the Rams were missing several key players, they made a positive start to the game. Lining up in a 5-2-2-1 formation with Forsyth and Elder as makeshift central defenders, Warne's side passed the ball and kept possession well in the opening stages, while pressing Sunderland from the front.

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Despite this, it was the visitors who created the first real chance. It came following a fine flowing move down the left and the ball fell to Dennis Cirkin free in the area, but he couldn't keep his shot down and blazed it over. Wilson Isidor then tried his luck from range but Jacob Widell Zetterstrom saved well.

Sunderland continued to probe and they took the lead in the 28th minute. Kane Wilson gave the ball away in the middle of the park and the visitors pounced. Jobe Bellingham picked out Elezier Mayenda inside the right channel and he drilled the ball through Widell Zetterstrom's legs and into the back of the net.

From that point, the Black Cats dominated until the half time whistle. Enzo Le Fee almost forced an own-goal with a wicked low cross, before he tried his luck from a 30-yard free-kick, but Zetterstrom produced a fine save. It stayed 1-0 going into the break, however, with the Rams second best throughout.

They might have struggled in the first 45 but Derby were much improved in the second half. An inspired triple substitution from Warne just before the half hour changed the mood inside Pride Park and the Rams started to create chances and look a threat in the final third.

Debutant Lars-Jorgen Salvesen, who arrived at the Rams from Viking FK last week, made a difference when he came on and he almost scored twice. Both chances came from crosses and he met both of them at the back post, but Patterson was equal on each occasion, palming them away from danger.

While Derby were on the top for most of the second half, Sunderland provided a threat on the counter-attack. And Regis Le Bris' side thought they had doubled their lead in the 78th minute.

Le Fee ran on to a long racking pass and the ball fell to Isidor inside the box and he fired home via the bar. However, after a short delay and consultation with the linesman, referee Sam Allison chalked off the goal for offside.

Although that could have rallied the Rams, it seemed to rejuvenate Sunderland, who had a couple more chances before the end of the 90, as Patrick Roberts and Dan Neil saw efforts blocked. And while the Black Cats couldn't add a second, it didn't matter to the end result as they secured a 1-0 win.

Here, DerbyshireLive bring you our player ratings from Pride Park.

Jacob Widell-Zetterstrom: One of Derby's best players on the evening, Widell-Zetterstrom didn't disappoint. Not too much he could do about Mayenda's opener, although he might be frustrated that he went through his legs. He made impressive saves from Le Fee and Isidor as well. 7.

Kane Wilson: Playing at left-back in an unnatural position, Wilson started well and looked solid. However, he gave the ball away in the build-up to Sunderland's opening goal and needed to be tidier on the ball. 6.

Ebou Adams: Might have got caught on a couple of occasions while playing at right centre-back, but Adams was as dependable as ever. Shaking off his knock to play, Adams won his tackles and wasn't afraid to drive forward. 8.

Craig Forsyth: Another that produced a solid performance, Forsyth has shown on several times that he can play at centre-back and he had to do so again in the absence of Cashin and Nelson. Forsyth might be 35 now, but he can still do a job. He was good in the air, decent on the ball and didn't do much wrong. 7.

Callum Elder: Like Forsyth, Elder can't be too disappointed with his performance. He stepped into the left-side of central defence and looked assured there. 6.5.

Kenzo Goudwijn: An orchestrator in midfield, Goudwijn was responsible for most of Derby's opportunities with his set piece deliveries. He had a chance of his own in the second half but couldn't take it. 6.

Liam Thompson: Struggled to make an impact after coming into the XI and looked a passenger in midfield. Wasn't his finest performance and he was taken off before the hour mark. 5.

Marcus Harness: Came into the side tonight and looked a bright spark in the No.10 role. Wasn't afraid to pick up the ball and drive with it, and was a catalyst to their much improved second half performance. 6.5.

Nathaniel Mendez-Laing: Looked a threat in the first half with his pace but failed to trouble Sunderland defence. Was hauled off in the 58th minute and don't think he could complain. 5.

Kayden Jackson: Didn't make much of an impact. Worked hard as usual but lacked quality and threat to cause problems. He was the third player to get subbed off before the hour mark. 5.

Jerry Yates: Ran the channel and pressed well, he didn't have much service and didn't even have a shot on goal. He remains on six goals for the season and he might be waiting a while for another. 6.

Subs

Josh Vickers: N/A

Tom Barkhuizen (Wilson 73): Didn't see much of Barkhuizen for the final quarter of an hour plus stoppage-time, but he covered his position well and put a few crosses into the box. 6.

Ben Osborn (Thompson 58): Covered a lot of ground in midfield in the last half of an hour, although he might have been disappointed with his final ball on a couple of occasions. 6.

Lars-Jorgen Salvesen (Jackson 58): Made a huge difference on his debut and Derby fans would have been pleased with what they saw from the striker. Came close to scoring twice and a threat in the box. 7.

Jake Rooney: N/A

Joe Ward: N/A

Corey Blackett-Taylor (Mendez-Laing 58): Was impressive when he came on and has put himself right up there to start again next week after recovering from a knock. Ran at his full-back and created a few chances. Unlucky not to score or get an assist. 7.

Dajaune Brown (Yates 73): Almost scored with his first touch on the pitch, a glancing header that dropped just wide. Had to go off before full-time, however, after appearing to pick up an injury. 6.

Freddie Turley: N/A