Phillip Cocu praised his Derby County players for their patience and perseverance as they claimed a dramatic 1-1 draw at Sky Bet Championship leaders Leeds United on Saturday afternoon.
Max Lowe’s unfortunate own goal in the first half looked to have handed Leeds all three points at Elland Road.
The home side wasted several opportunities to double their lead with Patrick Bamford hitting the woodwork and Mateusz Klich firing a penalty wide midway through the second half.
However, Chris Martin came off the bench to score a dramatic injury-time equaliser to round off a fine team move.
It was Martin’s first goal in a Derby shirt since November 2017 and the goal sparked wild celebrations on the pitch and in the away end as the Rams ended the contest strongly.
Cocu admitted his side endured a tough opening to the match but was pleased with the way his players stayed in the game.
He felt the Rams displayed focus and concentration to grow into the match and ask more questions of their opponents as the clock ticked down.
Speaking to RamsTV, Cocu said: “In the first 30 minutes, Leeds played very well with a high tempo and high press.
“We tried to play from the back and I encouraged the players to do it. They created some chances and it is the quality of the team that they have.
“We always said we have to make sure we stay in the game, so when we concede a goal it is important we don’t lose our heads, keep together as a team and they did it very well.
“After 30 minutes we got back in the game, we got some good offensive plays in their half. I told them at half time that we needed to proceed in the second half in the same way.
“Leeds had a few chances to score again but we were patient, focused and also convinced in the last 20 minutes that it could happen. Their missed penalty was a big moment; it didn’t go in and we ourselves have experience of being 1-0 up and not scoring a penalty. We can see what is possible in a game of football. Maybe we deserved this today.”
He added: “In the last minute it was a great feeling that Chris came on and scored the goal. It was a great result in a very difficult away game for us.”
Martin’s goal was his 65th in a Derby shirt, having been with the Rams since early 2013, but was his first for the club in almost two years.
He has spent much of the last two years out on loan at both Reading and Hull City, after falling out of favour with previous managers Gary Rowett and Frank Lampard.
Martin remains popular with the Rams’ faithful, a feeling which was demonstrated as he celebrated his equaliser at Elland Road.
His coolness in front of goal showed why Cocu views him as part of his plans moving forward, but the Derby boss was keen to highlight the qualities of all his strikers.
Cocu said: “It was a great goal. It is not only the goal, but his positioning when he had to protect against the centre-back and we just have to as a team put him in the right position in front of the goal.
“It’s one of the reasons we knew this game would take time to take initiative to make sure Leeds went back more so we can use the qualities of Chris Martin.
“In the first half, Jack Marriott did excellent. He just tried to find the back of the defence with his speed. There are different qualities of players we have in the squad and that is very important for us.”
He added: “For Chris personally it is a great moment after a lot of hard work and for the fans who love him. For me as a manager, anyone who scores a goal I would be happy because I think the lads deserved a point today.”
