Derby County returned to winning ways in the Sky Bet Championship at the weekend, with the Rams defeating Middlesbrough by two goals to nil at Pride Park.

It has been a hectic couple of months for the Rams both on and off the pitch, with tensions high around Pride Park heading into this encounter at the weekend.

In the week, club captain Richard Keogh was sacked after being involved in a car crash with Mason Bennett and Tom Lawrence last month - he was ruled out for up to 15 months of action due to injured knee ligaments.

But the Rams did their talking on the pitch on Saturday afternoon, as two goals from Lawrence secured an invaluable three points for the Rams.

They were helped by a sending off in the first half, though. Middlesbrough midfielder George Saville was shown a straight red card for a robust challenge on Krystian Bielik, inflicting even more woes on Jonathan Woodgate's side.

Phillip Cocu's men have now climbed up to 15th spot in the Championship table, ahead of their clash with arch rivals Nottingham Forest next weekend.

One player who is bound to be delighted at their clean sheet is Kelle Roos - the Dutch goalkeeper

/B4YBONNALIk/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link"> took to Instagram after the game to express his delight after another solid performance on their home turf.

The Verdict

Derby are certainly getting better and better as weeks go by, particularly at home.

I think Cocu's decision to play Lawrence as a number 10 at the weekend was a really good choice - he doesn't really have the pace to play out wide, but he is so dangerous picking up pockets of space in behind the striker.

It's now time for a massive game against Forest next weekend - a win could really kickstart their season.