Paul Warne kept the same squad which led to a 3-0 victory over Bristol City yet switched his formation from a 4-2-3-1 to a 4-3-3 for this one.
It led to a convincing 1-0 win for Derby County as Cardiff City continue their unfortunate run of games in the Championship.
Paul Warne's side took on a Cardiff City side who were eagerly looking to provide hope after a lacklustre performance in the each openings of the Championship season so far.
Although Cardiff did not appear weak in any manor, it was the resilience of Derby County which proved to be the decider on this Saturday afternoon's fixture with the goal coming from Kenzo Goudmijn in the 28th minute.
An error by Cardiff's number 21, Jack Alnwick, allowed a free run for Ebou Adams who had a wide open net to slot it home however came up short in a monumental miss which saw the ball trickle out wide for a goal kick.
In the end it was no matter of worry as Derby County quite comfortably won the game to continue on their winning way back in the second tier of English football.
-
Derby County prove they can still compete at this level
This victory over Cardiff and the manor in which it was done gives more confidence to the fans of the club as it is another reminder of how they are able to perform against other Championship sides.
Although it was only a one goal game there was still plenty of opportunity for The Rams who had the lead in shots of 12 in comparison to Cardiff's nine.
One of those 12 included an open net miss from Ebou Adams which has already gained lots of attention as it appeared to be a sure 2-0 cushion, however the ball did not ripple the back of the net this time.
-
Cardiff City show their goalkeeping still needs more attention
Including this 1-0 loss on the road the total goals conceded by Erol Bulut's team in the past six games has increased up to a concerning 14 goals whilst only scoring one which came from a draw in Swansea.
Cardiff have appeared to be swapping their starting keeper fairly often going from Jak Alnwick and Ethan Horvath, clearly this isn't working so far.
It could be that that a more consistent presence in-between the posts could give Cardiff City more confidence especially when it comes to playing those heavy scoring top table sides such as Burnley and Blackburn.
Regardless, it is apparent that things are not currently clicking as Cardiff hold the leagues worst goal difference with a minus 10 which is something they will surely be wanting to shift.
-
New Swede signing shuts the door once more and continues to impress
Following his time with the Swedish national team during the summer break, Jacob Zetterstrom returns to hand out a back to back clean sheet by steering all three shots on target to clear the danger quite comfortably.
Such a calm performance is no surprise as we have seen from the new signing as in the past four matches Jacob started, including this Cardiff victory, has only seen the ball in the back of his net one time excluding penalties.
This victory acts as insurance for Paul Warne, assuring him that the right decision was made in signing the young Swedish National keeper and he can be expected to come up big for The Rams as future games come thick and fast against other teams who will be wanting to test him as well.
-
Cardiff City frustration beginning to show
Only being five games into the 24/25 season it does seem too early to count any teams out or place any harsh judgment, however the individual frustration from players is becoming more apparent due to still having a zero percent win rate with one point out of a possible 15.
The Bluebirds gathered three yellow cards in the match continuing to a now six game streak with at least one card awarded to them, this could become a more increasing issue as it may lead to suspensions which Cardiff can not afford right now as they are desperately searching for that first victory of this season.
Cardiff soon faces a trip on the 28th of September where they face Hull who are also looking for their first win, a lot will be riding on that for Erol Bulut and his squad.
