Steve McClaren delighted with 'terrific' Derby County display against Nottingham Forest

Derby County manager Steve McClaren praised his players after they beat Midlands rivals Nottingham Forest 3-0 at the iPro Stadium on Sunday.

The convincing victory saw the Rams jump up to fifth in the Championship standings and they have now won their last six matches in a row.

"I thought we were terrific in the second half, we earned the right to play in the first half," said McClaren "They came at us and their shape upset us a bit, we did not use the full backs enough, but we talked about that at half-time."

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

What pleased the Derby boss most about Sunday's display was a fourth successive clean sheet recorded by his defence.

"We used the full backs second half and controlled and dominated, got the goals and how they wanted a clean sheet at the end, very compact and a good performance," McClaren added.

Meanwhile, Forest manager Philippe Montanier could not hide his disappointment with his team's lacklustre performance brought an end to a run of three straight league wins.

As a result, the visitors have now dropped to 16th in the Championship standings, just five points from safety, with the Frenchman offering no excuses after the game.

"We played very badly in the second half, I do not want to talk about the shape, and when they scored the second goal, it was very tough," Montanier said. "It is a disappointment for the defeat and the fans because we played this game for the fans. It was a poor second half that we played."