Derby faced off with Sheffield United in a Championship meeting on Saturday afternoon.
Paul Warne took his Derby County side to Yorkshire for a 3pm kick-off, aiming to build on their solid start to the Championship season.
The Rams garnered nine points from a possible 15 in their opening five Championship fixtures – a much better return than fans likely expected.
However, the newly promoted side faced their toughest test of the campaign so far on Saturday.
Derby have a superb home record under Warne. After beating Cardiff City 2-0 last time out, it has been revealed that the Rams have won 103 points at home since the start of 2022/23.
Only Ipswich Town (109) and Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City (105) had won more points prior to the ongoing round of EFL fixtures.
However, Saturday’s meeting was away from Pride Park and Sheffield United were undefeated going into the clash.
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Ben Osborn hailed for Sheffield United display
It was a tough outing for the Rams but one of their summer additions stood out over the course of the 90 minutes.
Ben Osborn moved to Derbyshire from Sheffield over the summer, leaving the Blades on a free transfer after five years at the club.
It was an impressive return home for the midfielder, who was brought into the eleven after David Ozoh picked up an injury last weekend.
Osborn controlled the midfield battle and received high praise from Sheffield Star journalist Danny Hall on X/Twitter during the match.
He wrote: “Incidentally, and with a hint of bias because I like the bloke, Ben Osborn has been excellent for Derby.
“Tenacious as ever but composed when needed and helped stop O’Hare etc play in the middle of the park with the usual control.”
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Why Ben Osborn is going to cause Paul Warne a problem at Derby County
This is not the first time the 30-year-old has shone this season, with Osborn impressing for Derby vs Middlesbrough last month.
Osborn then picked up a knock and missed the games against Watford and Bristol City.
However, he is now back fit and playing some excellent football for his new club.
This is obviously great for Derby but will give Warne a major selection headache when Ozoh returns from injury.
The Rams completely overhauled their midfield this summer and to the club’s credit, all four of their new additions have excelled in the early stages of the campaign.
As a result, when Ozoh is back, Warne may be forced to drop one of his current midfield trio for the Crystal Palace loanee.
Osborn, Ebou Adams and Kenzo Goudmijn all deserve to start regularly, as does Ozoh, but with only three midfield slots available, someone will have to, probably undeservedly, get benched.