Saints fall to first pre-season defeat

Tom Lawrence dispatched two well-taken finishes before Mason Bennett added a simple third for the Rams, whose season gets under way in just 13 days.

Mark Hughes handed debuts to Mohamed Elyounoussi in attack and Jannik Vestergaard in defence, who played 45 minutes apiece.

Saints, sporting their new yellow and blue away kit for the first time, included Elyounoussi from the start, providing support for Charlie Austin along with Nathan Redmond, while Stuart Armstrong played in a deeper role alongside Mario Lemina.

Both sides traded half-chances early on, as Lawrence forced a low save from Alex McCarthy, before Nathan Redmond scuttled into the box and fired over.

Saints endured an uncomfortable moment when Ryan Bertrand’s backpass skipped away from McCarthy to concede a corner, but the visitors came to life on the half-hour.

James Ward-Prowse, continuing to operate in the right wing-back position, traded passes with Charlie Austin and crossed low towards Elyounoussi, whose first shot was blocked before his second sliced wide.

The best chance of a slightly subdued first half fell the way of David Nugent, who raced through the middle of the Saints defence, but could not beat the giant frame of McCarthy, who saved smartly down to his left.

Then left-back Max Lowe dispossessed Ward-Prowse and chipped a high ball in behind the Saints defence for Nugent, who needed a more delicate touch as his lob over McCarthy comfortably cleared the crossbar.

Mark Hughes made a double change at the interval, introducing Vestergaard, as Bertrand shifted to left wing-back, and Steven Davis for Elyounoussi.

Within two minutes of the restart, the towering Vestergaard planted his head on an inswinging free-kick from Ward-Prowse only to be denied by goalkeeper Scott Carson.

But it was Derby who struck first, as Lawrence latched on to a threaded pass that ran beyond the sliding Vestergaard, allowing the Welshman time to compose himself and slot past McCarthy.

The traditional glut of substitutions arrived shortly after, as Oriol Romeu, Pierre-Emile Højbjerg, Harrison Reed and Manolo Gabbiadini all entered the fray.

Saints produced a slick move when Mario Lemina advanced deep into Derby territory and cut the ball back for the onrushing Bertrand, whose shot was destined for the top corner until Carson intervened.

But before long Lawrence had doubled his tally, as he drove at the Saints defence and unleashed an unerring low shot from 20 yards that whistled past McCarthy’s outstretched right hand.

By the end of the game Lampard had changed his entire starting XI. One of his replacements, Bennett, slotted home the rebound to undo the good work of McCarthy, who saved brilliantly from debutant Florian Jozefzoon.