Lauren Hemp hailed England as “a special team” and Ella Toone toasted the best shot of her life after the Lionesses reached their first World Cup final with a 3-1 victory over co-hosts Australia.
Hemp restored England’s lead in the second half, after Matildas captain Sam Kerr cancelled out Toone’s stunning opener, and provided the assist that allowed Alessia Russo to put the game away after 86 minutes.
England, who will face Spain in Sunday’s showdown in Sydney, are just one win away from securing the second major trophy in their history just under 13 months after becoming European champions at Wembley.
Player-of-the-match Hemp, who started every game of that triumph, said: “Oh my god, what a feeling. I feel like there are no words to describe what we all feel right now.
“It’s an unbelievable achievement, getting to a World Cup final. It’s every kid’s dream. I mean, I’ve got no words, I’m absolutely knackered right now. We’ve got a few days to recover but then we go again.
“We want to win this, obviously we’ve come so far now, so why not?
“I feel like as a team we have got such an inner-belief and also so much confidence as the group. No matter what happens on the outside, no matter who we come up against, every challenge we’ve managed to solve.
“I feel like this team is so special. You saw last year how successful we were. We want to do the same again and we want to go one step further.
“We have all got a dream. We’re pushing each other to be the best that we can and we know that whenever a player gets beaten by their opponent, we know there will be someone there, having each others’ backs, no matter what.”
World number four England have grown into this tournament since eking out a 1-0 win against Haiti, 49 places below them in FIFA’s global rankings, to open their campaign – sparking concerns about the Lionesses’ prowess in attack.
Russo and Hemp have netted three goals each in this tournament, equalling the contribution made by Chelsea forward Lauren James before she was sent off late in the second half of England’s victory over Nigeria in the last 16.
England have never had two different players score three or more goals at a single edition of the tournament before, with James also set to be available for Sunday’s final after serving the second match of her two-game suspension on Wednesday night.
That might put Toone’s chances of starting the final at risk, but the Manchester United midfielder could not have done any more to impress head coach Sarina Wiegman, lashing in a thunderous strike to set England on their way in Sydney.
“It fell straight to me in the box and I just thought ‘why not just smack it?’ Honestly, that’s the best shot I’ve hit in my life,” said Toone, who scored the opener in last summer’s Euro 2022 final triumph.
“Sometimes when you hit a ball, you just know I’ve caught that perfectly and I was like ‘wow, that was alright’. I think I knew as soon as it left my boot that it was going to end up in the back of the net.
“It seems to be I like the big stage in tournaments, but in tournament football it is often about taking those moments and it was my turn to do so tonight.
“I had my moment, it fell to me and I put it in the back of the net. Even if I hadn’t scored, I would still have done my job for this team, worked hard and did what I needed to do.
“When big moments fall to me in tournaments, I’ve taken them.”
England secured a 3-1 victory over home favourites Australia to reach the Women’s World Cup final.
Having fallen at the semi-final stage in the previous two tournaments, the Lionesses are now beginning preparations for Sunday’s showpiece against Spain.
Here, the PA news agency takes a look at how Sarina Wiegman’s European champions saw off the Matildas to make history.
Toone on song
Having been criticised for her form earlier in the competition, Manchester United attacking midfielder Toone set England on their way with a fine opening goal.
In doing so, she became the first player in England history – male or female – to score goals in a quarter-final, semi-final and final of a
major tournament after enjoying a fine Euros last year.
Lauren Hemp scored the second before supplying a fine assist for Alessia Russo to wrap up the famous win, but Toone’s strike set the tone and she will be hoping to keep her place against Spain despite Lauren James returning from suspension.
Kerr-tains for hosts
Chelsea striker Sam Kerr was fit enough to start for Australia as the lethal finisher aimed to fire the Matildas into a first-ever final.
She equalised with a long-range effort that clipped off club-mate Millie Bright to beat Mary Earps and give the hosts hope of turning the game around.
However, she then wasted two gilt-edged chances to put Australia in front – heading over and then blazing high just moments before Russo struck to make sure of England’s spot in the final.
Post of the dayQuote of the dayWhat’s next?
Third-place play-off: Sweden v Australia (Brisbane, Saturday 0900BST)
Final: Spain v England (Sydney, Sunday 1100BST)
Arsenal’s season has been rocked by a serious knee injury to summer signing Jurrien Timber which will require surgery.
The Netherlands international moved to the Emirates Stadium from Ajax this summer but was forced off on his Premier League debut – Saturday’s 2-1 win over Nottingham Forest.
Timber, 22, limped off at half-time against Forest following a heavy challenge on Brennan Johnson that earned the full-back a booking.
He emerged for the second half but lasted just five minutes before going down off the ball and being replaced by Takehiro Tomiyasu.
An Arsenal statement on Wednesday read: “Further to detailed assessments with consultant specialists since Saturday, we can confirm that Jurrien has sustained an injury to his anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.
“Jurrien will undergo surgery in the coming days and will be out of action for a period of time.
“The support and expertise from our medical team and everyone at the club will now be focussed on Jurrien’s rehabilitation programme, to ensure he recovers well and is back playing as soon as possible.”
Timber was a £38.5million signing for the Gunners and played in the Community Shield penalty shoot-out win over Manchester City before suffering the setback against Forest.
Despite losing Timber, Arsenal are still expected to allow Nuno Tavares to leave the club in the coming days, with Forest a potential destination for the former Portugal Under-21s full-back.
While signed primarily to play at right-back, Timber had started life at Arsenal on the left side of defence, filling in as Oleksandr Zinchenko recovered from a calf problem.
Harry Kane insists he will relish the “new pressure” of challenging to win titles every year at Bayern Munich and knows success in Germany can put his name in the Ballon d’Or conversation.
It has been a whirlwind week for the England captain after he departed boyhood club Tottenham on Saturday for an initial £100million fee, which could rise to £120m with add-ons.
Kane made his Bayern debut later that same night in the DFL-Supercup but his wait for a first trophy goes on after RB Leipzig inflicted a 3-0 defeat on the Bundesliga champions.
The 30-year-old is eager to add team success to a host of individual honours on his CV during his time in Munich.
“A lot of people talk about the trophies and why I came here, but ultimately it was to improve,” Kane told Sky Sports.
“To feel a new pressure of having to win titles every year, having to go far in the Champions League and pushing myself to that limit.
“I think if you’re winning games, winning titles, winning Champions Leagues and I’m the one playing up front, it more than likely means I am scoring goals so that allows you to win other individual awards.
“But that all comes from what you achieve as a team. That’s my focus first and foremost and that all starts on Friday.
“We have a long season ahead. A lot of pressure for Bayern Munich to win the league and go far in the Champions League. That is what I am excited to try and challenge myself with.”
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An outstanding 2017 resulted in Kane finishing 10th in the Ballon d’Or list but Spurs have endured a difficult few seasons since they made the Champions League final in 2019.
With Kane aware his chances of winning silverware were reducing at Tottenham, the forward made the decision to leave the north London club after a 19-year association.
He hinted part of the decision to leave Spurs was to play in the Champions League and have no regrets at the end of his career.
Kane added: “If you’re winning your league, winning the Champions League and we obviously have the European Championship next summer as well, I think as we’ve seen with the Ballon d’Or, you have to be winning team trophies to achieve that.
“Yeah, if I am scoring goals and we’re winning trophies then of course that will come into question, but it is not really what my focus is on right now.
“I’ve always said throughout my whole career I never want to retire and feel like I could have done more or pushed myself more. That was a big part of the decision-making coming here.
“I felt like to improve and to get better I had to be playing at the highest level.
“Of course I want to win every competition that I play in, that’s the goal every season but when you finish your career, you want to make sure you pushed yourself to the limits and that’s what I’ll continue to do.”
Lauren Hemp’s second-half strike helped fire England into their first World Cup final as the Lionesses sealed a 3-1 victory over co-hosts Australia in front of a sold-out crowd in Sydney.
Ella Toone, who replaced the suspended Lauren James for England’s quarter-final win over Colombia, netted 36 minutes into her second start of the tournament in front of a crowd of 75,784.
Australia captain Sam Kerr, making her first start of competition, equalised for the first-time semi-finalists with a stunning individual goal after the break before Hemp put England back out in front.
Alessia Russo added another late in the second half to cap off the historic encounter and set up an all-European final showdown against Spain on Sunday night in Sydney.
England are now one win away from lifting two major trophies in just under 13 months after their triumph at last summer’s European Championships, while Australia will play Sweden for third place in Brisbane on Saturday.
Chelsea are set to take their spending under Todd Boehly to a whopping £1billion if they can get deals for Romeo Lavia and Michael Olise over the line.
The American has splashed the cash since taking over at Stamford Bridge, backing Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter and Mauricio Pochettino heavily in the transfer market.
Here, the PA news agency takes a look at the biggest deals.
Moses Caicedo (£115million)
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The Blues beat off competition from Liverpool for the signature of the highly-rated Brighton midfielder, who is the third most expensive under-21 player in the world behind Kylian Mbappe and Joao Felix. They paid £100m up front, but that could rise to £115m depending on certain criteria.
Enzo Fernandez (£106.8m)
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Chelsea smashed the British transfer record when they signed the World Cup winner from Benfica in the January transfer window for an outright £106m, surpassing Jack Grealish’s fee for his move from Aston Villa to Manchester City.
Mykhailo Mudryk (£88.5m)
The Ukraine star cost £62million up front when he joined from Shakhtar Donetsk in January, but that fee could rise to £88.5m with possible add-ons.
Wesley Fofana (£75m)
Chelsea were after defensive reinforcements when they signed Wesley Fofana from Leicester. The France international cost £70million, with a possible further £5m to be paid to the Foxes in add-ons.
Marc Cucurella (£63m)
Chelsea have looked to Brighton on a number of occasions and, a few months before Graham Potter made the move from the Amex, the Blues signed left-back Cucurella for £56m, with a further £7m due in extras.
Midfielder Romeo Lavia will undergo a medical on Wednesday ahead of his move to Chelsea, while Hakim Ziyech is close to exiting Stamford Bridge.
The Blues agreed an initial £53million fee to sign Lavia from Southampton on Tuesday, which could rise to £58m in add-ons, the PA news agency understands.
Lavia is now in London to go through his medical tests but Ziyech will be the latest player to go through the exit door at Chelsea after an agreement in principle was reached with Galatasaray for his transfer.
It has been a whirlwind few days for Mauricio Pochettino’s team, with the British record capture of Moises Caicedo from Brighton completed on Monday.
Caicedo’s transfer could eventually total £115m and a day later the Blues closed in on the signings of Lavia and Crystal Palace winger Michael Olise.
After Lavia made it known to Southampton on Monday that he favoured a move to west London, Chelsea and the recently-relegated Saints reached an agreement for his transfer on Tuesday night.
Lavia will sign for an initial £53m with Southampton able to receive a further £5m in add-ons.
The spending under owner Todd Boehly shows no sign of slowing down though, with Olise’s £35m release clause activated on Tuesday, PA understands.
It allows Chelsea to now negotiate personal terms with the highly-rated Crystal Palace winger.
Olise is currently out injured with a hamstring issue and his current club Palace are reported to be unhappy with Chelsea’s conduct during their pursuit of the France Under-21 international.
PA understands Chelsea are comfortable they have done nothing untoward and Olise is expected to finalise his move this week.
Ziyech should leave after Chelsea and Galatasaray reached an agreement for his transfer on Wednesday, but the Morocco forward still has a medical to complete after moves to Paris St Germain and Al Nassr collapsed earlier this year.
England’s Rachel Daly is one of six World Cup stars who have been shortlisted for the Professional Footballers’ Association Players’ Player of the Year award.
Forward Daly hit 22 goals in the Women’s Super League for Aston Villa last season – a remarkable achievement for a player who featured at left-back in the Lionesses’ successful Euros campaign last summer.
Her form last season has made her a first choice up front at the World Cup for England manager Sarina Wiegman.
The 31-year-old from Harrogate is joined by five other illustrious WSL names on the nominees list, including Australia striker Sam Kerr, Norwegian duo Frida Maanum and Guro Reiten, Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw and Spain’s Ona Batlle.
Kerr and Reiten were key components of a Chelsea team which secured a sixth WSL title last season, with Kerr scoring the winner as the Blues claimed the domestic double with victory over Manchester United in the FA Cup final.
Reiten’s international team-mate Maanum was a major asset to Arsenal last term.
Her versatility in midfield has made her a vital part of Jonas Eidevall’s Gunners team since her arrival from Linkoping in July 2021.
Full-back Batlle was part of a Manchester United squad which pushed Chelsea close in the league all season and helped the team qualify for the Champions League for the first time in their history.
She returned to Barcelona earlier this summer when her United contract expired.
Shaw was a shining light in what was a disappointing season on the whole for Manchester City, scoring 31 goals in 30 games in all competitions.
Her performances earned her a contract extension through to 2026 earlier this summer.
Referee-turned-pundit Mike Dean says he will not have any issue in telling former colleague Simon Hooper how badly he got things wrong by not giving Wolves a penalty in their defeat at Manchester United on Monday.
Hooper and VAR officials Michael Salisbury and Richard West have been stood down for this weekend by Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) boss Howard Webb after they collectively failed to award Gary O’Neil’s side what looked like a blatant spot-kick in added time of the 1-0 loss at Old Trafford.
Dean quit his role as a dedicated VAR and coach of up and coming officials in the summer in order to move into a role as a pundit on Sky Sports’ Soccer Saturday.
And the 55-year-old, who made his debut on the show last week, has warned his former colleagues that he “won’t be sitting on the fence” when it comes to discussing controversial decisions.
“I’ve had a chat with a few of the referees and made it clear that if they make a bad decision, I won’t be sitting on the fence or defending the indefensible and they were OK with that,” he told the PA news agency.
“I want to be able to do the job properly and give proper insight.
“Equally, I’ll be happy to highlight good decisions as it will be good to give refs some credit.”
Dean was an on-field referee for 27 years – 22 of those in the Premier League – and was undoubtedly one of the biggest characters in the game, with his antics and exaggerated facial expressions prime content for online memes.
His final year for the PGMOL was spent at Stockley Park as a dedicated VAR and he admits he did not get the same satisfaction.
“For me refereeing was the best job in the world, and I felt lucky to be able to be paid for basically doing my hobby,” he said.
“But after 27 years of refereeing, and 22 in the Premier League, I felt like I had done my time and wanted to start the next chapter of my life.
“It didn’t take long for me to realise that being on VAR wasn’t for me. Having to travel down to London to then be stuck in a room, telling on-field referees whether their decisions were right or wrong didn’t give me the same enjoyment.
“I spoke to Howard about this and luckily he supported me in my move away from the role.
“I only ever tried to be the best referee I could be. I don’t shy away from the fact I did the job in a different way to some others, but this just came from my enjoyment of it.
“I loved my career, seeing Premier League football every weekend from the best seat in the house. I got to referee some amazing games like Man City against QPR when they won the league in the last minute, and make some great mates.”
Webb has had a tough induction to the top job at the PGMOL since taking over from Mike Riley in December but has been committed to making his officials accountable for their errors and also improved communication.
Dean insists the former World Cup final official is the “best man for the job”.
He added: “I have no doubt that Howard is the best man for the job, he has a real presence and is respected in the game.
“He’ll be in contact with Premier League managers this year and will have no problems being up front and honest with them – this communication should only help this season.
“Premier League football and decisions in big games will always get attention, and it is the nature of being a referee that you will get criticised when you make mistakes just like players.
“The difference for referees is that you will rarely get called out for refereeing a game well, or making good decisions. That’s why I’m not a fan of the idea of refs being interviewed after games, as they’d only want to be spoken to when they’ve made an error.”
:: Mike Dean has a new role as the face of the Family & Friends Railcard. Research from Railcard.co.uk reveals that fans opting to travel by train to football matches can save over £50 per adult and child just by using the Family & Friends Railcard.
What the papers say
Crystal Palace are reportedly unhappy with Chelsea over “tapping up” concerns during their pursuit of Michael Olise, according to the Daily Mail. Chelsea are looking to sign the 21-year-old attacking midfielder for £35million after activating a release clause but the Mail report that the Eagles are concerned over the way the approach for their player has been handled.
West Ham’s deal to sign former Manchester United captain Harry Maguire has reportedly fallen through after the club became tired of waiting for the defender to agree on the move to the club, the Guardian reports.
The Daily Mail says Liverpool are widening their hunt for a defensive midfielder with the club identifying six players including Joao Palhinha and Cheick Doucoure.
Social media round-upPlayers to watch
Mohammed Salah: Football365 says the Liverpool forward has given permission for a Saudi Pro League team to negotiate with the club.
Lucas Paqueta: A new offer from Manchester City is imminent for the West Ham midfielder, according to Football Insider.
England boss Sarina Wiegman believes simply nullifying the threat posed by Australia striker Sam Kerr will not be enough to see the Lionesses through to a first-ever World Cup final.
The European champions take on the Matildas in their semi-final tonight at 11 am BST at Sydney’s sold-out Stadium Australia, where the majority of the 75,000 in attendance will be backing the co-hosts.
Captain Kerr is her country’s leading goal-scorer of either gender, but has not yet started a match in the global showpiece after injuring her calf pre-tournament, making her much-anticipated return as a substitute in Australia’s 2-0 last-16 victory over Denmark.
Though the Chelsea forward is, at least in Australia, the poster-woman for this tournament, Wiegman insisted: “Australia is not just Sam Kerr. Yes, we have a plan [if she starts]. She can play and she can start on the bench, so that’s the situation. Of course she is a threat, she’s a very good player, so a lot of respect [to her].
“But there is more than Sam Kerr, because at the end it is always a team performance. When the team does really well an individual can do even better. That’s the same for Australia and it’s the same for England.
“There is a lot of pressure on her because everyone expects things from her. I think Australia have grown in the tournament too, they had some difficult situations they had to come back from and they did really well. We expect a very strong Australia tomorrow.”
The winner of Wednesday night’s contest will take on Spain for the trophy, after they beat Sweden 2-1 on Tuesday to book their trip to the final.
Kerr’s calf was arguably the most talked-about calf in Australian history when it was announced she would miss the first two matches of the Matildas’ World Cup campaign, and speculation has swirled about her fitness ever since.
The 29-year-old declared she would be available for Australia’s final group stage contest against Canada but remained on the bench, before appearing to a raucous reception for the first time in the 80th minute against Denmark.
She featured more in her side’s quarter-final against France, coming on for Emily van Egmond in the 55th minute and scoring one of the penalties that would see Australia win a 7-6 shootout and advance to the final four for the first time.
England captain Millie Bright, Kerr’s club team-mate at Women’s Super League champions Chelsea, echoed her manager’s assessment, adding: “I think everyone knows [Sam] pretty well. On the worldwide stage, I think she’s made a name for herself.
“It’s pretty hard not to know Sam and her abilities, but like Sarina said there’s other players in the team. I think we’re prepared to play against Australia as a team.”
Those other players have stepped up considerably in their skipper’s absence. Mary Fowler and Hayley Raso – who has netted three times this tournament – are emerging alongside Kerr as new household names Down Under.
It remains to be seen if Kerr will make her first World Cup start against England, or if Australia head coach Tony Gustavsson will once again use her as a talismanic threat off the bench – either way, Wiegman insists England have a plan.
Gustavsson perhaps hinted at the latter in his press conference on the eve of their historic encounter, where one side will become a World Cup finalist for the first time,
The Swedish boss said: “We’ll look at all of this trying to start as strong as possible, but finish even stronger. Meaning, what kind of starting line-up do we want to have, what finishing 11 do we want to have?
“What kind of tools and game-changing do we think we need in a game like this? Type of players, whether it’s speed or aerial presence. There will be some tough decisions to be made because a lot of players deserve to start, but a lot of players also deserve to finish the game and win it for us.”
Reading manager Ruben Selles praised the “intensity” of his young players as they edged out Cheltenham 1-0 in League One.
Selles included four teenagers and three 20-year-olds in his starting line-up, with 18-year-old Caylan Vickers creating what turned out to be the winner in the 33rd minute.
Vickers’ mazy run from deep ended with a looping deflection from Cheltenham midfielder Will Ferry that arced over keeper Luke Southwood into his own goal.
It was relegated Reading’s first league win in 16 games across two divisions.
“I’m very proud of the performance that the team put together,” Selles said. “We knew that we had to play with all that intensity and that’s why I made the team selection.
“In the first half especially, we were exactly where we wanted to be. The team showed character, togetherness and the way that we do things here.
“We’ve been talking about the young players during the whole pre-season and they have been working fantastically from the very beginning.
“We have been annoyed with the situation with the club, when trying to get new players. So we have to work with those that we already have and they have showed how good they are.
“It doesn’t matter whether you are 18 or you are 32, you do all the proper things and you have first place in this team.
“We had to make a game plan that would show our identity and I think that we did that.
“We decided to go with the team that can bring more intensity to the game and it is the first time that we win [in the league] this season.
“We go home with that feeling and also that happiness.”
Struggling Cheltenham have lost all four league and cup matches this season, without scoring a goal.
Head coach Wade Elliott said: “I thought we were excellent in the second half.
“I didn’t think that there was a lot in it in the first half but some of the breaks that are going against us are tough, like the own goal.
“But in the second half I was really proud of the performance. They players left absolutely everything out there.
“I’ve just told them in the dressing-room that, as tough as it is, you just have to put yourselves back on the line to be knocked down again.
“So we have to get round each other and support each other. We can feel sorry for ourselves or get ready to go again.
“If we keep putting ourselves up there, the breaks will fall the other way for us.
“We’re creating enough opportunities but it’s the last little bit [the finishing] that was missing tonight. I thought everything else was good.”
John Mousinho called on his Portsmouth team to be more ruthless after seeing them beat Exeter 1-0 at Fratton Park.
Colby Bishop’s second-half strike was enough to settle a keenly contested game.
Mousinho said: “I thought we were excellent in the first half. The only thing we didn’t do was put the ball in the back of the net.
“It was a different story in the second half. Exeter made some changes which I thought would leave them a bit exposed in places for the counter-attack.
“If I could criticise anything, it’s that we need to take our chances. We had some good opportunities up to and after the goal.
“We also have to learn to manage the game better. We didn’t do that particularly well in the last 10 minutes.
“We made some rash decisions and although we are a youngish team, I think we’ve got enough experience on the pitch to deal with it.
“Having said that, it was a well-deserved win off the back of a totally different game at the weekend. I’m absolutely thrilled.”
With both sides coming into the game unbeaten, it was Bishop who ended Exeter’s run with the only goal 20 minutes from time.
He rifled home from just inside the box after picking up substitute Jack Sparkes’ pass with his back to goal.
Exeter boss Gary Caldwell said: “We weren’t ourselves in possession tonight. We can play much better but, having said that, in the first half, we were dogged and resilient and defended the box very well.
“We improved in the second half. Most of the chances were from set pieces and I thought those chances were better than our overall performance.
“It’s a newly formed squad, we’re still developing in terms of partnerships, have come to a big stadium for the first time and we have to learn from experience.
“We didn’t make good decisions throughout the game. We kicked long when we could have played out and played out when we should have played long. We’ll analyse it as a group but I want them to be braver, to be a team.
“Their keeper has made some good saves and sometimes it just doesn’t go your way. Even when we are not at our best, our set-pieces cause teams problems.”
Carlisle boss Paul Simpson was proud of his side’s second-half performance as they held Wigan to a 1-1 draw at Brunton Park.
The Cumbrians fell behind to former striker Charlie Wyke’s first-half finish for Latics, but Simpson was delighted with the response from his team.
Carlisle equalised through Owen Moxon’s close-range finish.
“I thought we were positive and energetic tonight, but in the first half we struggled against a really good Wigan side,” admitted Simpson.
“Second half we certainly stood up to that challenge. That’s what we need to do every single game.
“We stuck at it. We were more aggressive in the press and more aggressive with our passing in the second half.
“I think in the end we thoroughly deserved the point tonight and it’s important that we can build on that on the weekend.
“Jordan Gibson was creative. The goal comes from him working and chasing. He’s got real ability and if he can put the work in that he has for the first part of this season, for the rest of it, he’s going to be a real handful for other teams.”
Wigan left Cumbria with a point and missed out on the chance to move off the bottom of the League One table.
Boss Shaun Maloney believed if his side kept their first-half level then they would have gone home with all three points.
He reflected: “I think anyone who was here saw the first half was as good a performance that I’ve had since I’ve been here.
“My only criticism is that when you’re that good you’ve got to put teams away.
“In the second half the last 40 minutes or so was a proper game and that’s what happens if you don’t put teams away.
“We made a mistake on the ball and they punished us and that’s football.
“It’s as good as we’ve played and I’m pleased with a lot of today. That first half is as good as it’s been since I’ve been here.
“Charlie Wyke is playing at a very good level at the moment. I’m asking a lot of him with a lot of minutes. He ran himself into the ground for us and the quality he showed is very good.
“My priority is trying to win the game, not give players minutes and I thought the substitutions we made gave us the best chance.”
Derby head coach Paul Warne described his side as a “nearly team” after they were beaten 2-1 at home by Oxford.
Mark Harris was the matchwinner for the second time in four days as Oxford deservedly took the points at Pride Park.
The visitors went ahead in the 32nd minute when Curtis Nelson gave the ball away and Cameron Brannagan played in Harris to fire into the top-right corner.
Derby were better after the break but needed a great save from Joe Wildsmith to deny Billy Bodin in the 64th minute although Oxford’s clever movement and precise passing was rewarded eight minutes later.
Another slick move ended with Bodin setting up Harris to beat Wildsmith with a low drive.
Derby gave themselves hope when Martyn Waghorn reduced the arrears in the 87th minute but it was not enough to prevent a third home defeat of the season.
Warne said: “We seem to be at the moment, and I include myself because I’m at the front of it, to be a nearly team.
“We nearly score off a set-piece, we nearly score off one across the box, we nearly pick out a man, we’re nearly a lot better but at the moment we’re not.
“It’s disappointing, it wasn’t us at our best, I thought we looked nervy first half which surprised me because three-quarters of the team were here last year.
“Oxford are a strong team and I think they’ll be up there come the end of the season but whether we showed them a bit too much respect and we keep giving teams a little lift at the moment.
“We were poor tonight and just had too many players off it and we need to get back to it very quickly.”
Oxford head coach Liam Manning said: “I think what you see is a group of players working hard for each other and fighting for the club.
“For me, some of the most impressive stuff tonight was how we defended set-pieces. We stood up to it, we showed bravery, we showed discipline and a real spirit which for me is really important.
“It was an important message at half-time not to try and hold on to 1-0 because when you come to a place like this with the strength they have in their squad if you try and see out a 1-0 for 45 minutes I think you’ll be in trouble.
“So I think the lads did a tremendous job of defending when we had to but showing quality in transition and showing quality to keep the ball. I think collectively we were excellent.”
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