Derby County were on the wrong end of a 3-1 scoreline on Monday afternoon as Reading secured all three points at the Madejski Stadium, despite Tom Lawrence halving the deficit with roughly ten minutes to go.
The Welshman was making his second consecutive start since returning from injury and produced a moment of magic to give supporters something to smile about, albeit momentarily.
Two goals down and heading into the final stages of the game, Lawrence picked up the ball from quite a distance following Thomas Holmes’ headed clearance.
After taking two touches to ready the shot, the winger unleashed a thunderbolt into the top right corner, leaving Rafael Cabral hopeless in the Royals’ net.
Hopes of a Derby comeback were short-lived as just five minutes later the hosts had restored their two goal lead courtesy of top scorer Lucas Joao.
Despite the defeat, supporters found the time to take to social media and praise Lawrence and rightly so, although there wasn’t much else to praise in all honesty.
One of the star performers against Luton Town in the previous encounter, grabbing his first goal of the season in the following game is sure to have further boosted Lawrence’s confidence heading into the final seven matches of the season.
Could a player of his quality prove to be crucial in the Rams’ bid to maintain their Championship status?