David Nugent gives Derby some needle to skewer stilted Nottingham Forest | Nick Miller

Gary Rowett’s side make their experience count at Pride Park to take all three points from a game where they saw little possession but showed all the nous

In the East Midlands derby both Derby County and Nottingham Forest fans have their own happy place, a recent game they can recall and smile. Forest have Ben Osborn’s last-minute goal at Pride Park in 2015; for Derby it is the 5-0 win a season earlier. This particular edition was not quite that good for the Rams but it will do for now. Derby beat Forest on Sunday with goals from Matej Vydra and David Nugent, and this was a game in which statistics told bigger lies than the most dishonest of conmen.

Forest had 57% of possession, had more shots, more shots on target and completed more passes. But ask anyone who witnessed the game which team controlled it and there will be only one sensible answer. This was a lesson in the perils of sterile domination; Forest passed the ball around for 90 minutes while Derby helped themselves to two goals and three points.

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from The Guardian http://ift.tt/2yq6jnl