Ravel Morrison’s late goal boosted Derby’s Sky Bet Championship survival bid as they beat Preston 1-0 at Pride Park.
Both sides were reduced to 10 men and the game looked to be heading towards stalemate when Morrison smashed home a loose ball 10 minutes from time.
Preston played for more than an hour a man down after Liam Lindsay was sent off for bringing down Tom Lawrence, but Derby had Max Bird dismissed early in the second half for a foul on Ben Whiteman.
But Morrison’s strike lifted the home fans and keeps Derby in with a chance of staying in the Championship.
It was a game Derby desperately needed to win but Preston started well and Cameron Archer should have done better with a 10th-minute header which he put tamely wide from eight yards.
Derby lifted their fans in the 19th minute when the ball broke to Jason Knight, who surged forward before unleashing a drive from 25 yards out that Daniel Iversen turned behind.
It was the start of a good period for Derby who should have gone ahead in the 23rd minute when Malcolm Ebiowei crossed from the right but Lawrence headed wide from six yards.
Derby were given a big boost in the 33rd minute when Lindsay tripped Lawrence on the edge of the box with the Welshman about to go through on goal and referee Geoff Eltringham produced a red card.
After Lawrence put the free-kick wide, Preston regrouped by bringing on defender Sepp Van Den Berg in place of top-scorer Emil Riis Jakobsen.
Derby started the second half strongly but they were reduced to 10 men in the 54th minute when Bird was shown a straight red for a challenge which left Whiteman needing treatment.
With emotions running high, the game was held up briefly when a spectator ran onto the pitch but he was quickly surrounded
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