Reading 1-2 Derby Player Ratings: subs the key

Lamps celebrates – www.theguardian.com

Tom Lawrence scored an injury-time winner on the opening night of the 2018-19 Championship season for Derby County, who were 2-1 victors at Reading. Here’s our Player Ratings from the game.

Reading

Vito Mannone – untested throughout the first half and made a real hash of Mount’s effort on the hour mark, which he let slip through his fingers with concentration perhaps an issue. He partially atoned for his error late on, making an excellent close-range stop from Wilson. 4

Andy Yiadom – we saw his usual pace and power which saw him make a name for himself at Barnet; he looked brave on the ball, even in his own half. Playing on the left for a spell at Barnsley appears to have helped him add intelligence to his game, too. 7
Paul McShane – did the simple things well in the first half, when his lack of pace wasn’t put under the microscope so much. His legs were increasingly stretched in the second half though and, once Bennett came on, he was forced into one or two cynical fouls. 5
Tiago Ilori – came in for criticism at times last season but perhaps now benefits from being under less pressure to play the ball out in unsuitable situations; he still found quality in his passing when the moment called for it. Appears to be improving under Clement. 8
Omar Richards – this promises to be a breakthrough season for Richards, who brought raw energy to the table in the first half and supported Barrow steadily for the goal. Took more time over short throws than would have been ideal and nerves perhaps affected his decision-making on occasions, especially after the break. 5

David Meyler – offered a touch of experience and discipline to the midfield and, for a player often associated with those qualities, he looked surprisingly capable in possession, too. Tired in the second half however, when he started to become more cynical. 6
Liam Kelly – the type of player that likes to have a pop from distance but due to the nature of the contest, he found those opportunities few and far between. Acted as effectively a second holding midfielder next to Meyler and was not shy to put a tackle in, earning a booking in the first half. 5

Sone Aluko – showed some nice touches in the first half. However, he doesn’t offer that direct pace down the flank and needed to make up for that by offering consistent quality in terms of his final ball. A skied first half effort wasn’t ideal, then. 4
John Swift – looked a tad below-par last season, partly due to injuries, but in the first half here he excelled at intercepting stray passes and picking those through balls in behind for Barrow and others. Faded though and was taken off mid-way through the second half, when Clement perhaps wanted a forward, in theory, capable of carrying the ball over longer distances. 5
Modou Barrow – offered Reading pace and power down that left wing, which was vital, given how often they were able to attack in transition early on. Tore Wisdom apart at times and put in a delicious ball for Bodvarsson’s header just after the break. Quiet in the final half hour but did enough over the course of the match to command praise. 8

Jon Dadi Bodvarsson – worked hard without the ball, but seemed to have the first touch of a double-decker bus and on more than one occasion in the first half, that hindered Reading’s attacks. Worked hard though and is a threat in the air, as his opener proved. 5

Sam Baldock (on 67) – normally has the selflessness to run the channels and be a useful outlet, but here his performance might have been disrupted by a combination of fitness issues and an unsupportive midfield. 4
Yakou Meite (on 75) – started up top throughout pre-season, so it was somewhat surprising that he was dropped to the bench for Bodvarsson. Won one or two duels from Mannone’s goal-kicks but didn’t do much else. 5
Leandro Bacuna (on 85) – came on to stop Meyler from getting another yellow card, but didn’t quite have the desired impact on the game in a short space of time. 5

Derby County

Scott Carson – brings a wealth of experience and that came to the fore once again for Derby, especially in the first half, when he made various saves including a one-on-one stop from Bodvarsson. 8

Andre Wisdom – struggled against Barrow in the first hour and, while he normally offers power and endeavour, here he rarely trusted himself to move forward with the ball. Didn’t deliver in any phases of play. 3
Richard Keogh – as good as Lampard’s recruitment has been on paper, his one blind-spot has been, perhaps, the decision not to add another centre-back to replace Keogh, who had looked suspect last year. Didn’t seem at all comfortable playing out from the back, which was a real problem for the Rams, although he was better at looking for Nugent with more direct passes. 4
Curtis Davies – a menace last season, Davies relished aerial duels and bread-and-butter battles due to his physicality. Even if the standard of his passing isn’t quite at the level Lampard might like, his experience and leadership cannot be dismissed. 7
Max Lowe – surprisingly, Lowe wasn’t a regular on loan at Shrewsbury last term, but impressed Lampard enough in pre-season to start here. A tad slow to close down in his defensive third on occasion and then for the opener, an element of naivety allowed him to be beaten to the back-post by Bodvarsson. Needs to learn quickly. 4

Joe Ledley – a poor display. Looked limited in terms of his passing range and strained against more mobile Reading players; perhaps tellingly, Derby’s collective performance improved when he came off. 3
Craig Bryson – remains a vibrant character and was one of the players in the first half whose endeavour was palpable, with flashes of ambitious pressing high up the pitch. His quality in possession however, may not quite be at the level it was in 2013-14. 6
Mason Mount – after a hugely impressive 2017-18 campaign with Vitesse, there was plenty of fanfare surrounding Mount but in the first half here he was too often stuck in non-threatening areas. However, he had the audacity to shoot from range on the hour mark and got a slice of luck from a goalkeeping error, which helped lift his confidence. 6

Harry Wilson – lit up the Championship in the final two months of last season with Hull, but here he was surprisingly quiet until the latter stages, when he forced a save from Mannone with the score level. 4
David Nugent – his work rate is highly impressive at 33, but because he so often drifted into the right channel, Derby were short of a man in the box at key times. He doesn’t have the pace to run behind either, but his limitations aren’t for want of trying. 5
Tom Lawrence – a tad individualistic at times: wanted to drive into central areas and fire shots at goal, with mixed results, when sometimes he needs to develop an awareness of where the space is and how he can help his teammates. That said, he was Derby’s brightest spark, he was not shy to get on the ball and he guided his header superbly for the injury-time winner. 6

Bradley Johnson (on 69) – his sheer power made him a central figure as Derby won the midfield battle in the closing stages, even if he wasn’t directly involved in the final third chance creation. 9
Mason Bennett (on 73) – not long ago, it looked like Bennett’s spell at Derby could be coming to an end, but the academy graduate has had a fine pre-season and wormed his way into Lampard’s plans. His raw energy helped force the hosts back – and what a delivery for Lawrence’s winner! These scores might seem high for substitutes, but without their impact, the game might well have plateaued into a draw. 9