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Derby County v Bolton Wanderers - Sky Bet Championship 2026/27Getty Images

'The character of the group showed' - John Eustace hails Derby fightback as Rams beat Bolton 3-1 at Pride Park

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Derby hit back after Bolton dominate first half

Derby looked set for another miserable evening as Bolton dominated the first half and went ahead in the 42nd minute. Larrazabal, who had been excellent down the right, burst forward and pulled a cross into the box for Ruben Rodrigues, who calmly slotted past Jacob Widell Zetterstrom.

The picture changed within 60 seconds of the restart, though. Morris crossed from the left, Fuseini flicked the ball on and Nyambe was there to poke in at the far post, scoring the first goal of his career on his 309th appearance, according to Sky Sports.

Robinson and Brewster complete Derby turnaround

Derby completed the turnaround three minutes later, when Morris headed on a ball into the box and Robinson finished from close range on his first start. Bonham kept Bolton in the game with a brilliant stop after Fuseini turned inside and shot.

The visitors pushed for an equaliser, and Zetterstrom got down to keep out Sam Dalby's header from a Gale cross with his forearm in the 70th minute. Brewster then brought the house down in the fourth minute of stoppage time, nicking the ball off Larrazabal before driving into the box and burying a shot into the top corner.

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Eustace hails Derby character after first home win

Eustace changed his side's shape at the break, and he was full of praise for the reaction. "We changed the shape at half-time, and the response from the lads was outstanding. The chips were down, we're not going great in the league, and the character of the group showed," he said. "It showed we're very much together. The two lads who came in [Shane Duffy and Robinson] for their first starts made a huge difference to us. We've been missing that experience all season, and I was delighted for the boys to go and get their first win at home."

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The Derby boss added: "During really difficult moments during any season you have to keep believing in what you're doing. I've got amazing staff behind me, and the whole club are right behind the team. The mood around the training ground hasn't been amazing, but it's still been very positive. It's a fantastic club."

What next for Derby and Eustace?

Derby remain four points adrift of safety despite the win, but they will head into the international break in a far better mood. Eustace was quick to warn against complacency, though, adding: "It's really important that we don't get carried away with this win, but we need to enjoy it."

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Bolton, meanwhile, will rue failing to build on their first-half dominance.

News editor

Working as a football journalist was my first childhood dream. I became a journalist and a member of the Egyptian Journalists Syndicate, but covering topics far from the world of sports until the opportunity came in early 2020 when I joined Kooora, and then GOAL.

My memories with football began with Zinedine Zidane's historic triumph in the 1998 World Cup and France's unforgettable win over Brazil in the final, along with the Egyptian league matches and the rivalry between Al Ahly, Zamalek, and Ismaily during that era.

I don't support a specific team in Europe, but I enjoyed watching Milan with "Maldini, Gattuso, Kaka, Pirlo" and was amazed by Barcelona with "Busquets, Iniesta, Xavi, Neymar, Villa, Messi, Suarez", before following Mohamed Salah in his exceptional career with Fiorentina, Roma, and Liverpool.

My unforgettable sports moment was Mohamed Aboutrika's goal in Al Ahly's victory over Sfaxien in the 2006 CAF Champions League final.

My ideal lineup: Buffon; Cafu - Van Dijk - Maldini - Roberto Carlos; Pirlo - Zidane - Iniesta - Kaka; Cristiano Ronaldo - Messi

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