Derby County lost 1-0 to Stoke City at Pride Park on Saturday, with Luke Graham's early second-half header settling a tight Championship contest. The result leaves John Eustace's side 23rd in the league table with just six points from their opening 11 games, a position that intensifies the pressure ahead of next week's trip to Sheffield United. Their record of one win, three draws and seven losses from those 11 games leaves them 17 points behind leaders Swansea.
Graham scored the only goal three minutes after the restart, meeting a deep free-kick from Ethan Galbraith. Derby, who had started brightly and enjoyed 53% possession, created a series of late chances to salvage a point. Rhian Brewster, introduced as a substitute, struck the post in the 63rd minute. David Ozoh then forced a sharp save from Stoke goalkeeper Viktor Johansson in the 90th minute before Filip Bilbija's header from a lofted cross narrowly missed the target in added time.
Eustace's changes
Head coach John Eustace made two changes from the midweek defeat at Queens Park Rangers, handing a first start since August to Lewis Travis. The midfielder was also named captain for the day. Ryan Nyambe started in central defence as part of a 4-2-3-1 setup, but the Rams could not find a way past a disciplined Stoke back line marshalled by goalscorer Graham.
The defeat extends a worrying run of form for Derby, who have now lost three of their last five league matches and are 17 points adrift of the automatic promotion places. Their recent form shows no wins, two draws and three losses from the last five, including the 1-0 loss to Stoke and a 4-1 defeat to QPR prior to that. They have scored only nine goals this season while conceding 20, giving them a goal difference of minus eleven. Attention now turns to a key away fixture against 11th-placed Sheffield United at Bramall Lane next Saturday. Derby will be without midfielder Max Bird, who serves a one-match suspension after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season against Stoke.
Head coach John Eustace expressed frustration after the 1-0 defeat to Stoke City, but praised his players' effort. "I was pleased by the response to a heavy midweek defeat by QPR," Eustace said. He also confirmed a fresh injury blow, with midfielder Lewis Travis limping off during the match. The Rams, who sit 23rd with six points, face Sheffield United away on 2026-10-24.
Stoke City manager Mark Robins offered support to his counterpart after Saturday's 1-0 win. "John's got a lot of injuries," Robins said. "Loads of injuries and mostly in the backline." The Rams' recent form now reads zero wins, two draws and three losses from their last five games. They next travel to face Sheffield United on 2026-10-24.
Derby County have signed defender Jack Robinson on a short-term deal. Head coach John Eustace confirmed the 33-year-old could feature against Sheffield United on 2026-10-24 if he proves his fitness this week. The Rams, who have lost their last two matches, are desperate for reinforcements. "We’re obviously very low on numbers at the moment, defensively," Eustace said. Derby's injury crisis has left them with just one fit centre-back, Dion Sanderson, with seven defenders and goalkeeper Jacob Widell Zetterstrom sidelined.
