Ben Gibson’s late header secured a dramatic 2-1 victory for Stoke City over Derby County in a captivating Championship encounter. Tom Cannon opened the scoring for the Potters with a penalty before Derby equalized in bizarre fashion when Gibson’s header beat his own goalkeeper. The captain, however, redeemed himself with a decisive goal in the 82nd minute, giving Stoke their second league win under Narcis Pelach.
Derby County secured automatic promotion to the Sky Bet Championship after a decisive 2-0 victory over Carlisle, two years after being relegated to the third tier. The Rams, needing only a draw at home against League One’s bottom side, started the match with a bang when Max Bird netted a stunning 25-yard goal in the fifth minute of his 200th appearance for the club. James Collins sealed the victory for Derby with a close-range strike in the second half, contributing to the Rams’ impressive final tally of 92 points, a club-record haul.
