Carlton Morris got the goals but whole Derby team were outstanding – John Eustace

John Eustace praised Carlton Morris’ hat-trick but said it was “a group effort” after Derby’s impressive display in a 3-1 win against struggling Sheffield United at Bramall Lane.

A header from a Joe Ward corner, a smart dinked finish and then a clinical penalty saw Morris take home the match ball and make it three wins on the bounce for the Rams.

Callum O’Hare pulled one back for the hosts but it was too little, too late for United, who defended poorly on the day and suffered yet another disappointing home defeat.

Eustace said: “It’s very pleasing to come here and play so well against a good team and a top manager. I am pleasantly surprised we managed to score three goals. We had a lot of chances on transition and it was an excellent performance.

“Even after conceding I never really felt we were in much danger of not getting three points. The boys put in a great shift and I feel we deserved the win.

“On and off the pitch Carlton has been great. His standards are so high; he doesn’t accept anyone dropping off their levels.

“You cannot afford to give those kind of chances to someone like him. When I bring in any senior player, I don’t just expect them to play but to lead off the field as well and he certainly does that.

“Carlton is a top player and obviously we are very happy for him, but it was a group effort today. He got the goals but the rest of the lads were outstanding.

“If you win three in a row like we have you can feel in a good place. But this is the Championship and you can go and lose three in a row as well. We want to keep this run going for as long as we can.”

Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder admitted he has a real challenge on to get his team higher up the table.

Wilder said: “What happens in both boxes is key and we were on the losing side on both fronts today. We have to play a certain way as we don’t have a number nine and we struggled massively.

“They haven’t had to work hard for the first goal, they haven’t had to work hard for the second goal and they certainly haven’t had to work hard for the third goal.

“I thought Carlton Morris dominated our back three and it was difficult for Tyrese (Campbell) because I think their back three dominated him.

“We have a demanding crowd here, which is fine. With what has happened in the last eight years the fans have an expectation and we have to meet it.

“We have a soft underbelly at the moment. We have conceded six goals in the past two games and we know we aren’t going to win too many games when that happens.

“I think it is important to keep your heads in moments like this. It seems a bit ‘boom or bust’ with everything at the moment. One minute we are going to be in the play-offs and the next we are going down.”