Derby boss Paul Warne believes his side’s away form could be the catalyst for promotion after a 3-1 victory at Fleetwood.
The Rams fired themselves to within two points of second-placed Bolton with a fine fifth straight victory on the road.
Player-of-the-match Nathaniel Mendez-Laing opened the scoring before prolific marksman James Collins hit his 16th goal of the season on the stroke of the break.
Jayden Stockley pulled one back in the second half, but Tom Barkhuizen ensured Derby’s impressive away run went on.
Warne said: “We did enough to win and come the end of the season it doesn’t matter how you win, it’s just important that you win.
“We’ve done well away from home in different football matches. At Oxford and Wigan, they were different matches to today.
“It’s a boost for us. They’re good lads and they want to get near the summit.
“There aren’t many weekends when you know you’re going to have a positive trajectory with a win because of the FA Cup.
“To take ourselves into third is great. I think we’ve got another gear.
“In fairness, at 2-1 I can’t say my blood pressure wasn’t through the roof because it was. Every time they went forward you’re always thinking the worst so to get the third goal was a relief.
“Over the course of the season you can outplay teams at Pride Park, but away from home these games are difficult. It’s winter football.
“We could have been better, but I’ll take three points over a better performance and a draw.
“We need to be better and have more control in games. I thought we overcomplicated it a bit in the second half.
“Our own errors allowed them back into the game and that’s disappointing.
“We allowed the opposition in and then had to weather the storm.”
New boss Charlie Adam is yet to taste victory since taking over the reigns at Fleetwood two games ago.
The Cod Army remained rooted to the foot of League One after a third straight league defeat.
But former Scotland international Adam believes his squad, who have not won in their last 11 games in all competitions, have what it takes to stay up.
He said: “I couldn’t be anymore proud of these lads.
“Again, we’re disappointed with the goals that we lost. But we’ll take positives from the performance, the endeavour, the shape and the organisation. They took everything in.
“They came up against a quality side in Derby, they punished us. But I couldn’t be prouder of these players.
“This group of players are taking on what we’re trying to give them as a staff. If they keep giving me that then we’ll be pushing up the league there’s no doubt about that.
“My two midfielders were magnificent. I said that to them in the dressing room, they’re playing against a Premier League player in Conor Hourihane and I thought they were magnificent against him.
“If they get that level of intensity and quality during games then we’re a good side and I’m looking forward to the rest of the season with them.
“We could have nicked a point. We had chances. But it comes back to moments in games. We conceded a set piece in the second minute of added time in the first half and then we’re 2-0 down.
“If you don’t take your chances with the quality that Derby have you can get punished. But I want to take the positives and we’ll build on that for next week.”
Juve must play at their limits against in-form Lille, warns Motta
Thiago Motta stressed the importance of Juventus playing at their very best when they face Lille in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Juve face a tough task against a side who have already upset Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid in this season's competition.
This will be the first ever meeting between these teams.
However, Juve have lost three of their last four Champions League matches against French opponents (W1), including both against Paris Saint-Germain in the 2022-23 campaign. and Motta warned against any complacency.
"All matches are important. We, as Juventus, always want to win. The most important thing is always trying to improve," Motta told reporters on Monday.
"Lille are very confident, and we want to face them in optimal condition. We aim to give more than our maximum.
"There are no favourites in a match. It's a beautiful game, in a beautiful stadium, and we hope the pitch will be in good condition tomorrow. We can only talk tomorrow about who played better."
Motta will have midfielder Douglas Luiz from injury, but is still without a glut of players.
"He's [Luiz] one more player who can help the team. We’ll be missing Arek [Arkadiusz Milik], Gleison [Bremer] and [Nicolas Gonzalez]."
Lille boss Bruno Genesio knows Juve will present a stern test for his team, despite their shock wins over the Madrid clubs this term.
"Every Champions League match is different, but there is one essential parameter to get a result - commitment," he said.
"Like all Italian teams, Juventus are very well organised, very difficult to play against. Having already achieved two big results in this competition, we are going to give it our all again and we have our fans who will give us strength."
Jonathan David will be one of the standout Lille players Juve have to keep a close eye on.
The Canada international has scored six goals in his last eight Champions League appearances for Lille.
Lille have won all five games he has scored in but have not won any of the six games he has featured in without scoring (D2 L4).
Gyokeres rated above Haaland by Sporting captain Hjulmand
Sporting CP captain Morten Hjulmand hailed his team-mate Viktor Gyokeres as a superior striker to Erling Haaland ahead of Tuesday's clash with Manchester City.
Sporting, who will lose head coach Ruben Amorim to Manchester United next week, face the Red Devils' fierce rivals in their fourth Champions League game of the season.
That contest will pit two in-form Scandinavian strikers against one another as Sweden international Gyokeres takes on Norway superstar Haaland.
Gyokeres has been a revelation since swapping Coventry City for Sporting last season, scoring 34 goals in the Portuguese top flight this calendar year.
That is more than double the figure managed by the competition's next-most prolific player, with Porto's Galeno netting 16 times.
Gyokeres' haul has come from an expected goals (xG) figure of 28.17, while his shot conversion rate of 27.9% also dwarfs that of nearest rival Galeno (19.5%) and he has scored 31 of 47 big chances in 2024.
His 61.2% big-chance conversion rate is the second-best of any player in Europe's top 10 leagues, behind Jan Kliment, who has managed a 75% ratio for Czech side Sigma Olomouc.
As Gyokeres prepares to do battle with Haaland, who has 11 goals in 10 Premier League games this term, he has received a glowing endorsement from his skipper.
Asked which striker was the better player at Monday's pre-match press conference, Hjulmand said: "Gyokeres, because he plays for Sporting."
Outgoing boss Amorim, meanwhile, knows Sporting's financial position means they will one day cash in on the Swede, who has been linked with several Premier League clubs.
"I don't know Sporting's plans, but if the right offer arrives they will have to sell," Amorim said on Monday.
"He is an athlete who is at his peak and can give a lot, both in terms of money to his club, and income to the future club".
Gyokeres already has 16 league goals for Sporting this season, the most of any player in Europe's top 10 leagues ahead of Barcelona's Robert Lewandowski, who has 14.
Haaland is tied for third place, alongside Bayern Munich's Harry Kane and Atalanta's Mateo Retegui.
Gyokeres has also been directly involved in 10 goals in 12 appearances for Sporting in European competitions (seven goals, three assists), scoring on all four of his European starts at the Estadio Jose Alvalade.
He still has some way to go to match the Champions League exploits of Haaland, though.
The City talisman has been directly involved in 49 goals in 42 appearances in the competition (44 goals, five assists).
If he scores or assists on Tuesday, he will become the fastest player to 50 goal contributions in the competition's history (43), overtaking Ruud van Nistelrooy for fewest appearances to reach that figure (45).
Arsenal sporting director Edu steps down
Arsenal have confirmed Edu has resigned from his role as the club's sporting director.
Edu, a former Arsenal player who was part of the "Invincibles" squad in the 2003-04 season, has been involved in the behind-the-scenes running of the Gunners since July 2019.
He first returned to the club as technical director, and was promoted to sporting director in November 2022.
Edu has played a key role in supporting Mikel Arteta, and helping the Spaniard transform the Gunners into Premier League title contenders.
Reports emerged on Monday, however, that the Brazilian was quitting his role, with speculation mounting that he will be joining Evangelos Marinakis' footballing organisation - the Greek magnate owns Nottingham Forest and Olympiakos.
"This was an incredibly hard decision to make," Edu said in a statement released on Arsenal's website.
"Arsenal has given me the opportunity to work with so many amazing people and the chance to be a part of something so special in the club’s history. It has been a special journey.
"I've loved working with so many great colleagues across our men’s, women’s and academy teams, especially Mikel, who has become a great friend.
"Now it is time to pursue a different challenge. Arsenal will always remain in my heart. I wish the club and its supporters only good things and all the very best."
The news comes after Arsenal were beaten 1-0 by Newcastle United on Saturday to leave them seven points adrift of Premier League leaders Liverpool.
Arsenal face Inter in the Champions League on Wednesday.
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