Liam Thompson sends two word message to Derby County fans after 3-1 win v Hull City

Derby County reduced the gap between themselves and safety to just four points with a comfortable 3-1 victory over Hull City on Tuesday evening.

Craig Forsyth, Tom Lawrence and Festy Ebosele were on the scoresheet to keep the Tigers at bay.

Forsyth’s own goal gave Hull a consolation late on in what was an otherwise very solid defensive display despite Richard Stearman’s suspension.

Lee Buchanan slotted into centre back seamlessly and allowed Forsyth to come in at left back, with Curtis Davies expertly marshalling the backline as has been a theme of the Rams’ success on the pitch this season.

Liam Thompson has been a key player in the Rams’ resurgence over the last couple of months and was brought on by Wayne Rooney to see out the game’s closing exchanges.

The 19-year-old took to Instagram to send a message to the supporters after the game.

Thompson posted: “Big win.”

Derby are closer to staying up in the Championship than many would have expected them to be at any stage of this season.

Graeme Shinnie and Phil Jagielka’s departures in January weakened the squad but the togetherness remains, and with Rooney at the helm the siege mentality he has implemented is as effective as ever.

The Verdict

Earlier on in the season, it felt like the pressure was off Derby and that it did not matter how well they performed, they were not going to have a chance of achieving survival.

Hopefully, they are able to play with the same freedom as the dotted line gets closer to give them the best possible opportunity of pulling off the greatest ever escape from relegation.

Thompson only played a minor role in the win on Tuesday evening but he has been a terrific find in recent months.

The 19-year-old has given the Rams an element of control from