Derby head coach Paul Warne described the 3-0 home win over Barnsley as “a boost for the dressing room.”
Barnsley came into the game unbeaten on the road this season but that run was ended by a James Collins brace and a Craig Forsyth goal.
The game was reasonably even up to the 35th minute when Jordan Williams pushed over Collins in the box and the striker got up to tuck away the penalty.
Derby rammed home that advantage in the second half when they twice caught Barnsley out with long free-kicks from goalkeeper Joe Wildsmith.
On both occasions, Forsyth got in behind Barnsley on the left when the ball was flicked on, firing low past Ben Killip in the 48th minute and then forcing the goalkeeper into an acrobatic save in the 63rd before Collins chested in the rebound.
Barnsley had a chance to get back in it but John McAtee fired wide after Devante Cole’s pass set him up in the 52nd minute.
Warne said: “I thought the first half was really tight, I didn’t think either team was really in the ascendancy and it felt like one of those games that was going to come down to small margins.
“Massive credit to the players, they were excellent today. It’s about the dressing room, the lads feel good about it.
“I’ve been saying all week I thought they were going to win, not from an arrogant point of view but I just felt it, I could see the lads in training taking the information on.
“It’s a boost for the dressing room obviously and the lads back themselves when they are at their best and today they were and we could have competed against anyone.”
Barnsley slipped to sixth in League One, now level on points with Derby.
Head coach Neill Collins said: “Up until the third goal, I didn’t think there was anything in the game.
“We were behind to the penalty at half-time which I thought was more than recoverable but the second and third goals, to lose goals to direct play and you’re 3-0 down.
“I thought there was nothing between the teams, there wasn’t really clear-cut chances for either team, it was a good tight game but then it quickly unfolded because we didn’t deal with direct play.
“We have dealt with that type of play and we’ve kept a lot of clean sheets but you’re coming up against a better calibre of opposition today and we just didn’t deal with it and that was the one aspect which was really frustrating.
“At times, had we shown a little more devilment and intensity it could have been there for us in the first 60 minutes but we didn’t.”
Hayes concedes title race is over as Chelsea suffer dramatic Liverpool defeat
It has been a difficult week for Chelsea and their boss Emma Hayes.
After seeing their Champions League dreams dashed by holders Barcelona on Saturday, they had no margin for error when they travelled to Liverpool in the Women's Super League on Wednesday.
Six points behind Manchester City with two games in hand but an inferior goal difference, the Blues needed three points to stop Hayes' final season in charge from totalling unravelling.
But there was to be no respite for the Blues, who were at one point tipped for a quadruple but have been stuck in a downward spiral since losing Sam Kerr to an anterior cruciate ligament injury during the winter break.
Matt Beard's Liverpool put on a tremendous display to win 4-3, with Gemma Bonner scoring a stoppage-time equaliser to leave Hayes certain the title is out of reach.
"I think the title is done," she said after Wednesday's game.
"Of course mathematically it's not, but I think the title is done. Our job between now and the end of the season is to keep pushing until the end, but I think it will be very difficult.
"This team has done a tremendous job in my time here to push for titles.
"I don’t know if we have ever conceded four goals in a half before. Three from set pieces is just unforgivable. But I'm going to credit Liverpool."
Chelsea now need an almighty collapse from City, who may only require three points from their remaining two matches to seal the title, if their goal difference advantage holds firm.
Hayes believes fighting on multiple fronts has not helped her team, adding: "We looked exhausted but I don't want to make excuses.
"I want to remind our fans how much success we have brought over the years. It's just not to be this year."
Next up, Chelsea face relegated Bristol City in their final home game before Hayes departs to take the United States job, with City taking on Arsenal in Sunday's headline fixture.
Sancho outshines Mbappe as Dortmund seize initiative against PSG
Manchester United loanee Jadon Sancho issued a reminder of his star quality as Borussia Dortmund beat Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final tie on Wednesday.
Niclas Fullkrug scored the winner after 36 minutes, taking in Nico Schlotterbeck's floated pass before driving a low shot beyond PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Fullkrug has now been involved in six Champions League goals this season (three goals, three assists), the joint-most by a German player in their debut campaign in the competition, alongside BVB team-mate Marco Reus in 2012-13 (four goals, two assists).
The star of the show, however, was undoubtedly Sancho.
He tormented Nuno Mendes throughout a lively performance, creating three chances for his team-mates – a game-high tally alongside Julian Brandt, Kylian Mbappe and Achraf Hakimi.
Sancho had completed seven dribbles by the halfway point, more than he managed in any full game for the Red Devils.
By full-time, that number had crept up to 12, the most by any player in a Champions League semi-final since Lionel Messi completed 16 for Barcelona against United in April 2008, and the most on record by an Englishman at any stage of the competition (since 2003-04).
Sancho even outshone Mbappe, who struck the far post with a curling effort early in the second half but was limited to just three shots totalling 0.17 expected goals (xG).
PSG did have their chances, though, with their total of 14 shots their most without scoring in any Champions League game since the second leg of their 2020-21 semi-final against Manchester City (also 14), when they were beaten 2-0 and eliminated from the competition.
Dortmund are now unbeaten in 11 straight Champions League home games, winning seven and drawing four.
It's their longest ever such streak at Signal Iduna Park, and they have also won four straight knockout games on their own turf for the first time in their Champions League history.
While Dortmund have a valuable lead to protect in Paris next Tuesday, Edin Terzic will be expecting a strong reaction from PSG.
The Ligue 1 champions have progressed from two of their last four Champions League knockout ties when losing the first leg, with the first of those successes coming against Dortmund in the last 16 in 2019-20 (1-2 away, 2-0 at home).
Borussia Dortmund 1-0 Paris Saint-Germain: Fullkrug hands hosts first-leg win
Niclas Fullkrug fired home a first-half winner as Borussia Dortmund claimed a 1-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final tie in Germany.
Nico Schlotterbeck floated a pass into Fullkrug's path and the Germany international brought the ball under his spell with a wonderful touch before drilling a low shot past Gianluigi Donnarumma in the 36th minute.
PSG, on the back foot for much of the first half, improved after the break and struck the woodwork twice in a matter of moments just after the restart.
Kylian Mbappe curled an effort against the right-hand post before Achraf Hakimi scuffed a shot against the other upright on the rebound as Edin Terzic's side escaped with a first-leg lead.
The teams will meet again at the Parc des Princes next Tuesday, with the winners of the tie facing either Bayern Munich or Real Madrid – who drew 2-2 in their first leg on Tuesday – in the final at Wembley Stadium.
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