Blackburn Rovers handed John Eustace his first win as Derby County boss as two goals in seven minutes saw them lose 2-1.
It was a horrendous start at Pride Park for Rovers against their former head coach. They were two goals down inside ten minutes against a side that hadn't scored in a month and were rock-bottom.
A free-kick wasn't dealt with in the box and that allowed Craig Forsyth to steer in the first. The second followed soon after, Ebou Adams tapping in after Rovers failed to manage a low cross into their area.
Rovers were shell-shocked but managed to gain a foothold as the half wore on. Yuki Ohashi was denied by the Derby goalkeeper before the deficit was halved.
Makhtar Gueye found the net inside the box after being picked out by Ohashi. Tyrhys Dolan did well down the byline, found the Japanese attacker and he squared for 2-1.
Despite dominating territory and possession in the second half, Rovers couldn't break Derby down. The hosts managed the game and ran down the clock, much to Blackburn's frustration, but they didn't do enough to seriously test the Rams' goalkeeper.
Ismael made a couple of tweaks from his debut XI, recalling Sondre Tronstad and Ohashi to the starting line-up for the first time since January injuries. The Japanese forward played in-behind Makhtar Gueye with the two strikers starting together for only the second time in the Championship.
Blackburn were backed by a sold-out away end, with inflatable snakes dotted around for the Eustace derby. The back and forth between the sets of fans began well before the first whistle and was a constant theme throughout.
Rovers got off to the worst possible start as they found themselves two goals down after seven minutes. They were bullied in the opening 15 minutes as Derby ran all over them.
The first was a simple free-kick into the box, won by Nat Phillips. Aynsley Pears didn't get enough on an attempted punch, under pressure from Jerry Yates, and Forsyth was able to slide in the opener.
One quickly became two with another poor goal conceded. Harness' cross was not dealt with and as Hayden Carter blocked Yates' shot, it fell to Adams to tap in. A disastrous start.
An injury to Augustus Kargbo gave Ismael the opportunity to make amendments. Dion Sanderson was his replacement which initiated a change of shape to match Derby up and add another physical presence.
The switch in formation helped Blackburn get more control and they soon began to dominate the ball, without really threatening. But as the half grew on, they became more dangerous.
Ohashi had a golden chance as he was slipped through by Lewis Travis but Jacob Widell Zetterstrom made the save. At the other end, Pears had to be alert to bail out Sanderson after he lost the ball in his own area.
Rovers made things interesting and set the nerves jangling around Pride Park when they reduced the deficit. Dolan did well on the touchline and found Ohashi in the box who then picked out Gueye to fire into the roof of the net.
The second half quickly settled into a clear pattern. Derby sat ten men in their own half and challenged Rovers to break them down. After some early pressure, which saw Ohashi divert a cross well over, Blackburn began to run out of ideas.
Derby were quite happy to run the clock down and take their time. They had three stoppages for injuries in quick succession which broke up any momentum Rovers tried to build. All part of the game, of course.
Ultimately, for all their possession, Rovers didn't show enough bite in either box to win the game. They were bullied in the first 20 minutes and lacked the punch to break Derby down in the second half.
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