The Championship:

Bristol City 0

Derby County 5

DERBY THRASHED Bristol City 5-0 at Ashton Gate to leapfrog their opponents and move into the Championship play-off places.

First-half goals from Rhian Brewster, Ben Brereton Diaz and Bobby Clark were added to by Patrick Agyemang and Lars-Jorgen Salvesen as the rampant Rams recorded a third win in four games.

It is just under a year since former Ireland assistant boss John Eustace — who briefly served as number two to Stephen Kenny during the Dubliner’s Boys in Green reign — took over as manager, and Derby have enjoyed a remarkable turnaround since then.

Having finished only a point above the relegation zone last season, following their promotion from League One the previous year, the Rams look set for a promotion push this season as they bid to end their 18-year wait for Premier League football.

Conversely, it was a disappointing night for Bristol City’s trio of Irish internationals. Jason Knight captained the side and completed 90 minutes. Mark Sykes also started for Gerhard Struber’s side but was withdrawn at half-time, while Sinclair Armstrong was introduced at the break.

Closure of the M5 throughout the afternoon caused traffic to become gridlocked in and around Bristol, causing some City players to arrive less than half an hour before kick-off.

But it seemed the whole team had failed to turn up as Derby capitalised on wretched defending to build a commanding half-time lead.

The visitors took a 13th-minute lead when Callum Elder’s cross from the left found Brewster unmarked to send a low right-footed volley past Radek Vitek from 12 yards out.

Before City could recover, they were caught playing out from the back, and Clark’s pass set up Brereton Diaz, who drove home a 16th-minute shot through a defender’s legs from a narrow angle.

The Rams were creating almost all the chances as Brereton Diaz headed narrowly wide following a 32nd-minute corner.

And it was 3-0 after 36 minutes as a fast Derby break saw Brereton Diaz supply the pass from the right to send Clark racing through a non-existent City back-line before coolly slotting past the exposed Vitek with his left foot.

Sam Bell did have the ball in the net for City after the third goal, but frustration among home fans increased as he had been flagged offside earlier in the move.

Boos resounded around Ashton Gate at the half-time whistle.

Gerhard Struber responded by sending on Armstrong and Neto Borges for Sykes and Bell at the start of the second half, and when those changes made little difference, the head coach gave a 63rd-minute debut to striker Delano Burgzorg, on loan from Middlesbrough, in place of Scott Twine.

But Derby continued to dominate, and the fourth goal came in the 66th minute when Agyemang comprehensively outjumped George Tanner to head in.

Rams boss John Eustace had the luxury of substituting all four of his goal-scorers in the closing stages, giving a debut to new signing Jaydon Banel, on loan from Burnley, and sending on former City player Andreas Weimann among the substitutes.

Armstrong and Burgzorg fired wide in attempts to grab a consolation goal, but they were rare moments of trouble for the Rams.

A last-ditch intervention by Rob Dickie, diverting a shot from substitute Owen Eames onto the crossbar, prevented a Derby fifth but only momentarily as Salvesen completed the rout when he turned in Weimann’s cross from inside the six-yard box two minutes from time.

Additional reporting by Paul Fennessy