Derby County 2-1 Fulham: The Rams hope to survive and make Fulham wait for promotion

Derby County abruptly ended Fulham’s promotion to the Premier League as they came from behind to claim a crucial win that kept their own faint hopes of relegation alive.

But 19-year-old Luke Plange equalized for the hosts five minutes into the second period, before Fulham defender Tosin Adarabioyo converted a Tom Lawrence cross into his own net.

Realistically, the result is unlikely to change the narrative of the campaign, with Fulham still needing just three points to progress and a single loss in the Rams’ last four games means Reading need just one point to defeat Derby to bring down.

But ahead of potential new owner Chris Kirchner, the result underscored the fight to remain at a club that should give manager Wayne Rooney some much-needed stability over the next few weeks to build for the future.

The first consecutive defeat this season is a huge disappointment for Fulham – and that defeat will hurt because it looked so unlikely for 45 minutes.

Without ever having been at their best, Marco Silva’s men had too much for their hosts.

Carvalho’s finish at the end of a one-two with Bobby Decordova-Reid showed why Jurgen Klopp is keen to bring the Portuguese youngster to Liverpool and he would have had two had Ryan Allsop not been an excellent save.

Allsop fended off 38-goal Aleksandar Mitrovic with a flying save after half-time and the Serb was disallowed a goal for offside when he pocketed the rebound after Carvalho’s shot hit the base of a post.

By this point, Derby had equalized as Plange finished a flowing move that also involved local pairing Liam Thompson and Lee Buchanan.

The derby winner was somewhat lucky but Plange deserves credit for putting pressure on Tosin.

In a frenetic final, Malcolm Ebiowei tested Marek Rodak with a long-range shot before Harrison Reid had to deflect an injury-time shot while Derby defied to secure a memorable triumph.