Leif Davis headed Town’s winning goal in the 77th minute as the Blues beat 10-man Derby County 2-1 at Pride Park, Town’s 11th win in 20 visits to the Rams’ current home. Former Blues loanee Lewis Travis’s eighth-minute own goal gave Town a 1-0 half-time lead but Rhian Brewster levelled from the spot on 68 before Davis’s header won the three points with Travis sent off in the second minute of injury time for a second yellow card.

Boss Kieran McKenna made one change from the team which drew 1-1 at home to Preston North End last week with Jack Taylor coming into the team for Jens Cajuste.

The Sweden international dropped to the bench in an unchanged 20-man squad.

Derby made three changes from the side which thrashed Bristol City 5-0 at Ashton Gate last week with left-back Derry Murkin, who signed from Utrecht on deadline day, and centre-half Danny Batth starting at the back with centre-half Dion Sanderson and former Blues loanee Callum Elder both missing out on a place in the squad.

Josh Vickers was in goal for his first Championship start of the season with Richard O’Donnell dropping to the bench.

Barham-born former Blues youngster Matt Clarke started at the back with Travis skippering in midfield. Sammie Szmodics, who joined the Rams on loan earlier in the week, was ineligible against his parent club.

The game got under way but immediately stopped when Batth clattered into Darnell Furlong on the edge of the Town area.

The former Wolves man continued after his bleeding nose had been attended to, then referee Josh Smith ordered him over to the touchline for further treatment and a numberless shirt in the third minute. While he was doing so, keeper Vickers took to the turf and called over a physio before carrying on.

Town fans weren’t overly convinced there was an injury in Vickers’s case, Derby injury stoppages having led to 16 minutes of additional time in the Portman Road fixture earlier in the season.

But that was forgotten in the eighth minute when the Blues went ahead from the second of two corners.

After the initial flag-kick had been half-cleared, Clarke looped it towards the back of the box, Ben Brereton Diaz nodding behind.

Anis Mehmeti sent over the resultant corner from the left and, having allowed his man Wes Burns to get in front of him, Travis flicked a header into the far corner of the net to send the Town fans at the other end of the ground wild having witnessed only the third Blues first-half away goal this season.

Travis, who never scored during his spell on loan with Town in the second half of the Championship promotion 2023/24 season, held his head in his hands.

The former Blackburn Rovers man continued his disastrous start to the game, referee Smith showing him a yellow card in the 13th minute for a foul on Mehmeti.

Town continued to dominate and three minutes later, Azor Matusiwa’s clever pass put Ivan Azon in on goal but ex-Blues defender Clarke slid in well to deny the Spaniard a shot at goal.

On 17, Jack Clarke’s equally deft pass fed in Mehmeti on the left of the area but Vickers was quickly off his line to block.

The home side, who had spent virtually all the game pinned back in their own half, attacked for the first time in the 22nd minute, Brereton Diaz crossing from the right but Patrick Agyemang, a player the Blues were interested in in the summer prior to this move to the Rams, was unable to get anything on it at the near post.

Derby began to see more of the ball and on the half hour, Taylor was booked for a foul on Brewster on halfway, a harsh-looking decision.

On 32, Mehmeti broke down the middle for the Blues and fed Clarke on the left. The winger cut the ball back and caught Batth and looped into Vickers’s arms somewhat fortunately with a second own goal potentially on the cards.

Mehmeti joined Taylor in the referee’s book in the 33rd minute for a bite at Travis’s ankles after the ball had gone.

As half-time approached, Derby were on top but without managing a shot until the 44th minute when Brewster sent an effort across the face and well wide from a tight angle on the right.

Referee Smith, who was booed off by the home support as he made his way off at the break, went from penalising minor physical contact for much of the half to allowing Batth to smash through the back of Azon, much to the striker’s frustration.

As the half moved into an additional two minutes, Clarke won the ball from Joe Ward on the Town left on halfway and brought it forward before finding Azon, whose shot was blocked by Matt Clarke.

That was the last action of a half which the Blues began very strongly, getting their goal through Travis’s error.

Town will feel they should have made that spell count further in terms of goals with Derby coming into it more in the second half of the period, Azon and Mehmeti both having been put through on goal.

However, the Rams hadn’t created a serious chance, while the Blues had looked a threat on the break, although not always making the most of their opportunities to counter-attack.

Two minutes after the restart, Clarke battled his way to the edge of the area before laying wide to Davis, but the left-back’s cross was too strong for Burns at the far post.

Town, who had started the second half very positively, should have gone two in front in the 52nd minute. Mehmeti played a superb cross-field ball between defenders from the left and found Burns in the area with only the keeper to beat. However, Vickers closed the angle and saved to his right.

Three minutes later, following a Blues corner on the left, the increasingly influential Mehmeti stood up a cross from the left and Azon headed into the ground and into Vickers’s arms.

On 58, Azon played in Burns behind Batth breaking towards goal, the one-time Norwich man pulling back the Welshman, who was through on goal. However, referee Smith showed only a yellow card, indicating he felt there were other defenders in position to get back, although that was debatable. The free-kick came to nothing.

Just after the hour mark, following Derby’s first attack of the half, Derby swapped Ozoh and Brereton Diaz for Oscar Fraulo and Jaydon Banel. Burns had suffered what appeared to be a groin problem moments earlier and after treatment was switched for Kasey McAteer.

As in the first half, the Rams began to get more into the game and in the 67th minute they were awarded a penalty, Bobby Clark turning inside Matusiwa in the area and being clipped by the Dutchman.

Brewster took the kick and hit it straight down the middle to level with Derby’s first shot on target of the afternoon.

Having got back on terms, Derby continue to see most of the ball, Travis shooting not too far over from distance on 73.

Two minutes later, Town, who needed a boost, made a triple change, Dan Neil making his debut in midfield for Taylor, Hirst replacing Azon and Chuba Akpom coming on for Clarke.

And two minutes after the changes, the Blues restored their lead. Mehmeti kept hold of the ball on the right despite a number of Derby challenges, then played in McAteer, who sent over a cross to the back post from where Davis planted a brilliant header back across Vickers and into the corner of the net, the full-back’s second goal of the season and the summer signing from Leicester’s first assist.

On 82, Derby swapped goalscorer Brewster for Salvesen and moments later McAteer was yellow-carded for preventing the Rams from taking a free-kick.

When it was ultimately taken, the ball was worked to Agyemang on the left, the striker crossing low to Matt Clarke, who turned over at the near post.

In the 85th minute, Neil sent Akpom away on the left with a very well weighted and threaded pass, the on-loan Ajax man cutting in and hitting a low which which was too close to Vickers.

Two minutes later, McAteer played in Mehmeti on the right, Hirst just unable to get to a loose ball.

Moments before the fourth official indicated four additional minutes, Akpom was sent away on the left, the former Boro man taking the ball inside before hitting a low shot which caught a defender and flew wide.

In the second minute of time added on, Travis was shown his second yellow card and was sent on his way, completing a miserable afternoon for the midfielder, who really ought to have been sent off in the Portman Road fixture for a wild lunge on Cajuste.

Town had been holding the ball on the touchline deep in the Derby half when Furlong allowed it to run out. The full-back grabbed hold of it while grounded and was shoved out of play by Travis, who knew immediately he was set for an early bath. Furlong was booked.

There was just time for Bobby Clark to react angrily to Blues skipper Dara O’Shea and Davis seeing the ball out of play before referee Smith confirmed Town’s fifth away win of the season.

Referee Smith was loudly booed off by the home fans as he made his way off but it was difficult to see they had too many complaints over the course of the afternoon with the red card difficult to dispute and the officiating inconsistent rather than particularly impacting either team.

The Blues needed the victory after two frustrating weeks, especially on the road where they have struggled to win too often this season and with another three away matches, next week in the FA Cup at Wrexham, in the Championship against the Red Dragons and then at Watford to come in the next 17 days.

Town were the better side overall, dominating for periods at the beginning of each half when they really ought to have sealed the three points before the Rams got back into it. The penalty was the home side’s only shot on target.

The winning goal through Davis was well worked on the right by the excellent Mehmeti and McAteer, who appear to have developed a very good understanding already, and finished brilliantly by the left-back.

The win moves the Blues back up to third ahead of Hull City, who were beaten 3-2 at home by Bristol City, while Coventry were held to a 0-0 draw at the CBS Arena by 10-man Oxford United. Middlesbrough could go ahead of the Sky Blues if they beat Sheffield United at Bramall Lane on Monday.

Derby: Vickers, Murkin, Batth, Clarke, Agyemang, Brewster (Salvesen 82), Ozoh (Fraulo 63), Ward, Brereton Diaz (Banel 63), Travis (c), Clark. Unused: O’Donnell, Forsyth, Thompson, Eames, Canoville, Allen.

Town: Walton, Furlong, O’Shea (c), Kipre, Davis, Matusiwa, Taylor (Neil 75), Burns (McAteer 64), Mehmeti, Clarke (Akpom 75), Azon (Hirst 75). Unused: Palmer, Greaves, Johnson, Cajuste, Walle Egeli. Referee: Josh Smith (Peterborough).

Photo: Matchday Images