MICK MCCARTHY’S CARDIFF City climbed into the top six of the Championship tonight with a 4-0 victory over Derby as Wayne Rooney suffered the heaviest defeat of his managerial career.
Leandro Bacuna’s brace, a trademark Kieffer Moore header and a late Will Vaulks belter saw Cardiff end the Rams’ recent revival by making it 24 points from Mick McCarthy’s 10 games in charge.
McCarthy took over in January when Cardiff City were on a six-game losing run but he has overseen a remarkable transformation in fortunes.
Tonight was the seventh league win the former Ireland manager has enjoyed as Cardiff boss and along with a trio of draws, it is a chain of results that sees McCarthy’s team move into that play-off places and ignite hopes of Premier League promotion.
But victory came at a cost for Cardiff as defender Joe Bennett suffered what appears to be a serious injury after 33 minutes.
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Derby had headed to the Welsh capital in good form with six wins in nine games easing their relegation worries, but this was a sobering exercise for Rooney whose team were second-best in all areas. Highly-rated Irish youngster Jason Knight was an unused substitute.
Derby manager Wayne Rooney. PA
PA
Cardiff’s wait for a goal ended after 22 minutes as Bennett slid in Bacuna down the left-hand channel and the midfielder capitalised on a static defending to score his first goal since November 2019.
Moore forced a fingertip save from Kelle Roos before Bennett fell to the turf and was eventually carried away, with concerned faces all around.
Cardiff had futher chances before the interval but Derby’s defence was breached within three minutes of the restart as Moore met Vaulks’ corner to head home his 16th goal of the season, and eighth in 10 games since McCarthy’s arrival.
Ojo set up Bacuna’s second eight minutes later with a square pass on the edge of the penalty area that the Curacao international curled home left-footed into the corner of the net.
And Vaulks struck a superb fourth in the final seconds, his 30-yard effort flying past Roos to confirm Cardiff’s seventh win in eight games and further boost their increasing play-off aspirations.
Other teams in the play-off hunt were also in action tonight with fifth-placed Reading winning 1-0 at home to Blackburn Rovers whie Middlesbrough (9th) and Millwall (10th) both claimed 2-1 victories in their respective outings.
Of the Irish players in action in the lower leagues tonight, Warren O’Hora’s goal could not prevent MK Dons losing 3-2 to Gillingham in League One while Seamus Conneely was sent-off in Accrington Stanley’s 2-1 defeat against Ipswich Town, who had Troy Parrott and Alan Judge both in action.
And in League Two there was good news for Eoin Doyle as his goal helepd Bolton Wanderers defeat Oldham 2-0 and move to sixth in the table.
Championship Results
Cardiff City 4-0 Derby County
Coventry City 1-2 Middlesbrough
Huddersfield Town 1-1 Birmingham City
Millwall 2-1 Preston North End
Nottingham Forest 0-1 Luton Town
Reading 1-0 Blackburn Rovers
- Additional reporting by PA
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10 games unbeaten for Mick McCarthy's Cardiff after four-goal win over Wayne Rooney's Derby side
MICK MCCARTHY’S CARDIFF City climbed into the top six of the Championship tonight with a 4-0 victory over Derby as Wayne Rooney suffered the heaviest defeat of his managerial career.
Leandro Bacuna’s brace, a trademark Kieffer Moore header and a late Will Vaulks belter saw Cardiff end the Rams’ recent revival by making it 24 points from Mick McCarthy’s 10 games in charge.
McCarthy took over in January when Cardiff City were on a six-game losing run but he has overseen a remarkable transformation in fortunes.
Tonight was the seventh league win the former Ireland manager has enjoyed as Cardiff boss and along with a trio of draws, it is a chain of results that sees McCarthy’s team move into that play-off places and ignite hopes of Premier League promotion.
But victory came at a cost for Cardiff as defender Joe Bennett suffered what appears to be a serious injury after 33 minutes.
Derby had headed to the Welsh capital in good form with six wins in nine games easing their relegation worries, but this was a sobering exercise for Rooney whose team were second-best in all areas. Highly-rated Irish youngster Jason Knight was an unused substitute.
Cardiff’s wait for a goal ended after 22 minutes as Bennett slid in Bacuna down the left-hand channel and the midfielder capitalised on a static defending to score his first goal since November 2019.
Moore forced a fingertip save from Kelle Roos before Bennett fell to the turf and was eventually carried away, with concerned faces all around.
Cardiff had futher chances before the interval but Derby’s defence was breached within three minutes of the restart as Moore met Vaulks’ corner to head home his 16th goal of the season, and eighth in 10 games since McCarthy’s arrival.
Ojo set up Bacuna’s second eight minutes later with a square pass on the edge of the penalty area that the Curacao international curled home left-footed into the corner of the net.
And Vaulks struck a superb fourth in the final seconds, his 30-yard effort flying past Roos to confirm Cardiff’s seventh win in eight games and further boost their increasing play-off aspirations.
Other teams in the play-off hunt were also in action tonight with fifth-placed Reading winning 1-0 at home to Blackburn Rovers whie Middlesbrough (9th) and Millwall (10th) both claimed 2-1 victories in their respective outings.
Of the Irish players in action in the lower leagues tonight, Warren O’Hora’s goal could not prevent MK Dons losing 3-2 to Gillingham in League One while Seamus Conneely was sent-off in Accrington Stanley’s 2-1 defeat against Ipswich Town, who had Troy Parrott and Alan Judge both in action.
And in League Two there was good news for Eoin Doyle as his goal helepd Bolton Wanderers defeat Oldham 2-0 and move to sixth in the table.
Championship Results
- Additional reporting by PA
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Cardiff City Championship Flying High Mick McCarthy Soccer Wayne Rooney