Nathaniel Mendez-Laing was heavily involved as Derby County made the trip south to Oxford United on Tuesday night.
Both teams went into the match with identical records, as only one place and two goals separated the two sides in the Championship.
Oxford drew first blood when Dane Scarlett opened the scoring in the first half, as his sharp movement saw him evade the defence and slide the ball home.
The Rams were poor in the first half and struggled to create many meaningful opportunities, with Nathaniel Mendez-Laing striking early into the second period to get his side level.
While both teams pushed for a winner, Derby settled for a 1-1 draw against Oxford, with Paul Warne learning a lot about his side on their travels.
- READ MORE: Five things we learned from Derby County’s draw with Oxford including Nathaniel Mendez-Laing debate
Mendez-Laing on what Paul Warne said at half-time
Derby went in at the break 1-0 down after a pretty abject first 45 minutes.
The Rams looked a bit sluggish and failed to win the second ball while their attacking play left much to be desired.
Warne knew that some honest words needed to be spoken ahead of the second half and match-winner Mendez-Laing has shed some light on what was said in the dressing room.
The 32-year-old explained how the Derby boss demanded more running, and strength in the tackle while showing a bit more positivity on the ball.
Speaking to the Rams’ YouTube channel, Mendez-Laing said: “The gaffer has just told us there that the basics in the first half, he doesn’t think they were there.
“And we can’t disagree. We need to run more, be stronger in tackles, compete more, and show a bit more positivity to get on the ball and create things. I think we did that in the second half, and we felt a lot more in control.”
The Derby players responded instantly to this feedback as Mendez-Laing fired home 10 minutes after half-time, leaving the Kassam Stadium satisfied with a point.
Mendez-Laing stats vs Oxford
Mendez-Laing has been criticised for his Derby performances as of late, with the Guatemala international struggling to reach the levels of last term.
The fleet-footed winger registered 24 goal involvements in League One, compared to just so four this term, including his strike against Oxford.
Before scoring his first of the season, Mendez-Laing only had two assists to his name, two of which came in the opening day 4-2 defeat against Blackburn Rovers.
It meant that his assist in the win over QPR was his only goal contribution in eight matches, raising concerns over his performances.
However, his second-half display at the Kassam Stadium saw Mendez-Laing produce some of his best football this term, and the statistics speak volumes of that.
| Mendez-Laing stats vs Oxford |
| 47 touches |
| 79% accurate passes (23/29) |
| 2 accurate crosses |
| 5 shots |
| 100% successful dribbles (3/3) |
| 7 ground duels won |
| 4 tackles |
As depicted by the above table, the experienced winger put in a captain-like performance, wreaking havoc in the final third but also working hard defensively.
Mendez-Laing must maintain those standards ahead of the home clash against Hull City on Saturday.