Football: Fluent Derby leave Strachan in a foul mood

Derby County 3 Coventry City 1

Until Gordon Strachan left his thoughts on David Elleray to swirl around in the evening fog, this was a clear story of the eye-catching impact Jim Smith's new Derby continue to have on the Premiership.

Full of positive intent and largely without inhibition, his multi-national team are a pleasure to watch, a credit to a manager who is neither young nor foreign yet is as fluent in the language of the modern game as any in his profession.

Jim Smith was anxious that the shattering experience of seeing a 3-0 lead overturned at Leeds two weeks ago might do lasting damage, instilling fear, discouraging creativity. He need not have worried.

Smith has been criticised for making so little space for native Englishmen at Pride Park but the complaints are flawed. Players who combine the enthusiasm and technical quality that Francesco Baiano and Paulo Wanchope share only enrich the game here.

Between them, the Italian and the Costa Rican destroyed poor Coventry, who fell apart after Baiano won a penalty to go with his early opener. They could then have gone five or six down in the wake of Wanchope's superbly taken goal as Derby discovered a higher gear. But for some excellent saves by Steve Ogrizovic, a vital tackle by David Burrows and a moment of rare fallibility by Baiano following one of genius by Wanchope, Coventry could have been routed.

They escaped largely because Derby lost Jacob Laursen with ligament damage sustained in a tackle with Gary McAllister and because the belated introduction of Darren Huckerby gave Coventry a sharper edge, as well as a second-half goal.

Strachan had no argument with the justice of the result but a considerable one with referee Elleray, whom he accused, effectively, of failing to take his job seriously.

His anger stemmed from an exchange in the official's room at half-time when, Strachan alleged, Elleray made a comment so ill-advised he felt obliged to lock the manager in the room with him so he could retract it.

Goals: Baiano (3) 1-0; Eranio pen (30) 2-0; Wanchope (39) 3-0; Huckerby (71) 3-1.

Derby County (3-4-3): Poom; Laursen (D Powell, 67), Rowett, Dailly; Kozluk, Eranio, Carsley, C Powell; Baiano (Hunt, 89), Sturridge, Wanchope. Substitutes not used: Solis, Burton, Hoult (gk).

Coventry City (4-4-2): Ogrizovic; Nilsson, Shaw, Breen, Burrows; Telfer, Williams (Boland, 58), McAllister, Hall; Dublin, Haworth (Huckerby, 35). Substitutes not used: Soltvedt, Lightbourne, Hedman (gk).

Referee: D Elleray (Harrow).

Bookings: Derby: Carsley, Wanchope, Eranio, D Powell, Dailly; Coventry: McAllister, Hall, Boland, Nilsson.

Attendance: 29,351.

Man of the match: Baiano.