On-loan Everton teenager Lewis Dobbin’s first senior league goal wrapped up a 1-0 home win for Derby against Cambridge.
Dobbin’s second-half header extended the hosts’ unbeaten league run to a 10th game against a visiting team who have now not beaten the Rams in seven contests since a 1989 League Cup tie when Peter Shilton was in goal.
The best chance of the first half had also fallen to Dobbin, only for him to direct a diving header straight at Cambridge keeper Will Mannion from an inviting left-wing cross by Nathaniel Mendez-Laing.
But the 19-year-old attacker was more clinical when presented with a 57th-minute opportunity to break the deadlock after Korey Smith had sent Mendez-Laing racing down the right. The latter’s cross from the byline was then met by Dobbin, who planted a firm downward header past Mannion from five yards.
Cambridge briefly threatened a response as Sam Smith’s firm 15-yard strike was well held by Joe Wildsmith.
But there were no further scares for Paul Warne’s men on their way to a seventh clean sheet in 10 contests and centre-back Eiran Cashin went close to adding a second late on when his shot from Louis Sibley’s free-kick kissed an upright.
