Top three Derby County performances so far this season

Derby County seem to have turned a corner in their performances this season after they had a slow start to the year.

Paul Warne's side currently sit in seventh, level on points with sixth placed Barnsley. They also only find themselves nine points away from league leaders Portsmouth.

The Rams come off the back of a 3-0 home win against Barnsley in what was one of the best performances of the season so far.

So here are the top three Derby outings so far this season:

3 - Derby County vs Northampton Town - 4-0

On Halloween the Rams faced a struggling Northampton Town side and didn't fail to make the most of it. Paul Warne's side netted four times with two goals from Max Bird and goals from Nathaniel Mendez-Laing and Conor Washington to add to the scoreline.

It was the emphatic nature of the Rams that puts this in the top three as they looked like scoring every time they went forward with the ball.

A deserved man of the match award went to Max Bird who as well as scoring twice, controlled the game in midfield and seemed to be all over the pitch throughout the game.

The performance warranted pacey attacking play down the wings which is exactly what Paul Warne had been calling out for. A dominant win with some real attacking flair along the way.

2 - Blackpool vs Derby County - 1-3

Second on this list is the Rams' 3-1 away win against promotion rivals Blackpool.

Derby had been in somewhat of a rut in September with some very lacklustre performances, but this midweek win kicked off October with a great start.

The story of the game really came in the 54th minute when midfielder Korey Smith opened the scoring with a fantastic top corner finish in what was his first goal in almost seven years.

Despite only having 36% of the possession, Paul Warne's side looked dangerous whenever they got on the ball and seemed to have a clinical edge against Blackpool which really seperated them.

A 3-1 win that proved the Rams can beat the teams near the top, a valuable three points for sure.

1 - Derby County vs Barnsley - 3-0

It had to be number one, Derby's weekend win against Barnsley really sticks out as a statement game for the Rams.

A 3-0 dominant win over promotion rivals Barnsley feels like somewhat of a turning point for Paul Warne's side as it has placed them in the mix for a playoff place.

Two goals from James Collins helped the Rams to a win with 34 year-old Craig Forsyth also chipping in with a goal.

The Rams made their playoff rivals look like a relegation battling side, holding the league's top scorers to a clean sheet really is something that Warne will be proud of and so it has to be marked out as the best performance of the season so far.