- Jihai (47 og)
- Sturridge (63)
- Date:2008-01-30
- Kick-off:19:45
- Venue:Pride Park Stadium
- Attendance:31368
- Referee:Bennett, S
Live Commentary
90mins
FT:Derby 1-1 Man City: At the end of a pulsating game the points are shared which is probably a fair result based on the way the sides battled for 90 minutes.
90mins
City have a free-kick 30 yards from goal and Elano is waiting behind it to strike at goal - this could be the final kick.
90mins
Time is almost up but it is Man City doing the majority of the pressing in injury time but they can't find a way through.
90mins
There will be four minutes of added time here.
89mins
Kenny Miller has a go at goal from the edge of the penalty area and forces a good save from Joe Hart. That was a good effort from the Scot.
87mins
Now Jewell throws on Emanuel Villa in place of the lively Rob Earnshaw to try and grab the winner.
86mins
Another common theme of this game has been players falling down injured and this time it is Marc Edworthy who is the unfortunate man.
83mins
And here comes Derby's main man as Giles Barnes replaces Stephen Pearson - can he open up the City defence?
83mins
The pace has finally begun to slow a little and that comes as no great surprise because both these teams have thrown everything at each other so far.
80mins
Emile Mpenza is coming on to add more weight to the City front line and he replaces the wasteful Vassell.
78mins
Derby have a chance to break but after failing to take advantage of a two-on-two Richard Dunne gets back to head away Fagan's cross for a corner.
76mins
Vedran Corluka scythes down Robbie Savage as the combative midfielder looked to escape through the middle.
75mins
Manchester City look very dangerous when Petrov collects the ball on the left hand side of hte field because his delivery has been nothing short of sensational tonight.
72mins
Perhaps Sturridge is a little unlucky here to be replaced by Geovanni when Vassell is probably the striker who should be off the field.
72mins
Darius Vassell has wasted yet another chance as Petrov finds him with another brilliant cross but hte former England striker fires over from 5 yards.
70mins
Claude Davis has been forced off injured and receives a good ovation after a superb display and Andy Todd is on for him.
69mins
Hossam Ghaly picks up the first yellow card of the game for a deliberate hand ball as Gelson tried to feed Elano.
66mins
That goal from Sturridge has silenced the crowd a little now and you do sense perhaps that could take some of the belief out of the home side.
63mins
GOAL:Derby 1-1 Man City: (63mins) Petrov delivers another superb ball into the box and Sturridge finishes cooly to level the scores and Derby are back at square one. What a moment for the young striker!
61mins
Derby are the quicker to the loose balls and they seem like they want the points more than City who look to suffering from a mini crisis of confidence.
59mins
Craig Fagan is seeing a lot of the ball on Derby's right hand side and with a little more quality in his final ball he could create some really good chances.
56mins
Elano is stripped and ready to enter the fray and he will now replace Kelvin Etuhu - so Derby have another test now.
55mins
This game is still as exciting and vibrant in the opening stages of this half as it was in the first and with City having to really push for an equaliser it promises to get even better.
52mins
Stephen Ireland has a great chance to equalise now for City but he dallies on the ball and with Sturridge waiting for a tap-in sees his shot blocked and Derby clear.
51mins
Derby County are laying siege to Hart's goal at the start of this half and Kenny Miller almost finds himself with a chance to double their advantage.
48mins
It took Derby just 28 seconds of the second half to grab the lead and it will be interesting to see how they play now they have the lead.
46mins
GOAL:Derby 1-0 Man City: (46mins) And there it is. Kenny Miller's shot deflects wickedly off Sun Jihai before spinning horribly wide of Joe Hart.
46mins
The second period is underway and it is difficult to see this game going much longer without a goal being scored by someone.
45mins
HT:Derby 0-0 Man City: It is all square at the break in a game that Derby have come closest as Earnshaw struck a post although Vassell could have a hat-trick.
45mins
Cool defending from Savage who chests up and then heads a Sun Jihai cross back to Price inside his own box.
45mins
There are going to be five minutes of added time.
42mins
It has been a pretty entertaining first half and you would not bet against a goal for either side before the break.
39mins
Claude Davis defends brilliantly now as Ireland looks to turn home an Etuhu cross but the big defender intervenes to put it behind for a corner.
37mins
Fantastic play from Rob Earnshaw who twists and turns on the edge of the box before unleashing a shot that beats Hart but crashes back off the post.
35mins
Darius Vassell is now down himself after a clash of heads with Dean Leacock.
32mins
Price is up and about although he looks like a boxer after 12 rounds which is a good sign and his long clearance eventually finds Earnshaw who tries the acrobatics and it flashes just over.
30mins
Lewis Price is down after the collision with Vassell there and he is being taped up and this is a worry for Paul Jewell.
27mins
And Vassell yet again is in but wastes the chance as he latches onto Dunne's long ball but his touch is poor and Derby clear.
26mins
Darius Vassell whould have at least two goals already as he wastes a glorious chance by nodding Petrov's pinpoint cross straight at Price from 6 yards.
24mins
Martin Petrov appears to have lashed out at Craig Fagan off the ball and referee Bennett wasn't too far away but he definitely seems to have missed it.
23mins
Derby are pressing well but they don't have the creative edge needed to break through and create a real chance, perhaps Giles Barnes will provide that later on as a substitute.
20mins
Kenny Miller musters Derby's first shot on goal with a smart swivelling volley from the edge of the box but it is straight down the throat of Joe Hart.
18mins
Derby are enjoying the possession but everytime City get the ball they look like creating something and that is a concern for the home fans.
15mins
However, Derby are playing quite a dangerous game by using a high-line but Petrov's pace gets him in behind and he finds Vassell who wastes another glorious chance after poor control.
12mins
Robbie Savage is seeing plenty of the ball as Derby make a pretty decent start to the game and despite the Vassell chance they are arguably on top and now they want a penalty - but the referee is not impressed.
10mins
Derby are trying to be quite direct in their style and use the pace and power of Earnshaw and Miller to trouble a Micah Richards-less City defence.
7mins
It has been a really bright start here from both sides and Corluka now has a great chance as he rises to meet Martin Petrov's corner but he heads over.
4mins
What a let off for the Rams! Claude Davis makes a howler and Vassell is in behind this time but he screws his guilt-edged chance wide of the post.
3mins
Rob Earnshaw has an early goal disallowed as he escapes in behind and despite a good finish he was a fraction offside.
2mins
Darius Vassell looks to get in behind the defence early on but Ireland's pass is overhit and it runs out for a corner.
0mins
Steve Bennett is tonight's match official and he gets us underway at a packed Pride Park.
0mins
Man City: Hart, Jihai, Dunne, Corluka, Ball, Etuhu, Ireland, Gelson, Petrov, Vassell, Sturridge
0mins
Derby: Price, Leacock, Moore, Davis, Edworthy, Fagan, Savage, Ghaly, Pearson, Earnshaw, Miller
0mins
Meanwhile Manchester City were dealt a rough hand by some balloons at Bramall Lane and will certainly be hoping that balloons will be in short supply in the East Midlands.
0mins
Derby were thrashed at the weekend by Championship Preston in the FA Cup but Paul Jewell rings the changes and will expect more from his side this evening.
0mins
Welcome to Pride Park as Derby County attempt to put just that back into their fans with a markedly improved performance against Sven Goran-Eriksson's Manchester City.
Match Preview
Furious Derby County boss Paul Jewell has demanded an immediate improvement ahead of the visit of Manchester City.
Jewell was livid after the beleaguered Rams reached rock-bottom with a 4-1 FA Cup fourth round defeat to Championship side Preston North End at the weekend.
Derby were so bad that they were booed off at half-time and again at the end by the fans who had not already left Pride Park in disgust.
"Every time we make one mistake it leads to another. It's been happening all season and today was embarrassing - it's the only word I can use," said Jewell.
"I'd like to think it can't get any worse. We don't seem to take anything that comes to us and don't put teams under pressure."
The manner of the weekend defeat overshadowed Monday's off-field news of new owners for the Premier League's bottom club.
But despite the arrival of an American consortium who have promised to make funds available to Jewell, the Rams are almost certainly heading for an immediate return to the Championship.
They have won only one league game all season, amassed a paltry seven points and appear destined for the drop with the lowest-ever Premier League points total.
One ray of light on Saturday for Jewell was a first goal for the club by £3.5million summer signing Robert Earnshaw.
He seems certain to retain his place on Wednesday, but the same cannot be said for the likes of Andy Todd and Claude Davis who had horror shows against Preston, while Lewin Nyatanga will definitely miss out after being sent off.
Manchester City must bounce back from a similar FA Cup humbling at the hands of Championship opposition.
Sven-Goran Eriksson's side were also dumped out at the fourth round stage with Sheffield United proving good value for their 2-1 win at Bramall Lane on Sunday.
Afterwards Eriksson lamented his side's faltering attacking play with his only fit strikers, Darius Vassell and Emile Mpenza, again drawing a blank.
The Swede seems certain to add another forward to his squad in the transfer widow following the loan departures of Italian mis-fit Rolando Bianchi and Georgios Samaras, and the continued absence of Valeri Bojinov with knee ligament damage.
The lack of goals - City have scored only twice in their last four matches - is threatening to undermine their pursuit of a European place and Eriksson could hand attacking midfielder Stephen Ireland a recall.
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Match Report
Derby County halted a run of five straight defeats in the Premier League to deny Manchester City a victory in front of the Rams' new American owners.
An own goal from Sun Jihai gave the home side the lead 27 seconds into the second half but City, who had wasted a string of chances before the break, levelled through Daniel Sturridge in the 63rd minute.
City would have won at a canter if Darius Vassell had put away at least one of the four gilt-edged opportunities that came his way but Derby showed far greater spirit and fight than in recent performances.
Their new owners, the Detroit-based General Sports and Entertainment company, would have been encouraged with what they saw on a cold night.
Certainly Derby manager Paul Jewell will have been pleased after Saturday's embarrassing FA Cup exit to Preston. But City will know that they must find someone who can finish if they are to have any chance of clinching fourth spot.
Vassell had a night he will want to forget as he squandered chance after chance, starting in the fourth minute when he shot tamely wide after a mis-hit back-pass by Claude Davis had sent him clear.
Vassell was again the culprit in the 15th minute when the outstanding Martin Petrov whipped in a glorious cross but the former England striker delayed his shot at the back post and Darren Moore was able to deny him.
But Derby also had their moments with Robert Earnshaw striking the foot of the post after Vassell had again hesitated when through on goal.
Those misses began to look costly when Derby went in front straight after the break with defender Jihai deflecting a Kenny Miller shot that was going wide into his own net.
But the threat of Petrov suggested City would create more chances and, in the 63rd minute, the Bulgarian sent in another pin-point delivery and this time Sturridge scored off a post.
Vassell completed a miserable night when he ballooned a Petrov cross over the bar from four yards out and that was the last clear opportunity for both sides although there was late drama when Derby conceded a free-kick 25 yards out in stoppage time.
The Brazilian dead ball expert Elano had the City fans behind the goal waiting with anticipation, but this time he failed to clear the defensive wall and Derby survived to take a point that will at least give them some heart for Saturday's relegation clash at Birmingham.
Derby County Team
Manchester City Team
Derby County | Manchester City |
Corners
| 6 | 5 |
Fouls
| 11 | 11 |
Goal attempts
| 12 | 10 |
Shots off target
| 5 | 5 |
Offsides
| 4 | 5 |



90mins
But he strikes it into the wall and Derby clear and that is probably the last attack we will see.