Derby manager Frank Lampard insisted that his side can get better after they thrashed Sky Bet Championship promotion rivals West Brom 4-1 at The Hawthorns.
Jack Marriott scored for the third successive game to give Derby a 10th-minute lead before Tom Lawrence doubled their advantage five minutes later.
Harry Wilson effectively made the game safe six minutes into the second half with Scott Malone grabbing a fourth after 71 minutes before Jay Rodriguez scored an 84th-minute consolation.
Lampard said: “I think that we could have done more. I think we could have played slightly better at times and scored more. No disrespect to West Brom.
“It was good to go two goals in front but I don’t think that our passing was as good as it has been at times.
“But I am not stupid enough to complain about a 4-1 at a team that I fully expect to challenge for promotion.
“There are good signs but more work can still be done.
“It was the best result (since Lampard has been in charge) but I don’t think it was the best performance.
“I think that we could have had three goals before half-time.
“It was a very good performance and a good result.
“We are two points off the top and it is a long season and we need to carry it forward.
“It is an unforgiving league and we have to keep the mentality right.”
Albion would have gone to the top of table with a sixth successive home league win and manager Darren Moore claimed that he felt the result was bizarre.
Moore, who felt that Albion could have had a first-half penalty at 2-0 down when Dwight Gayle went down under a Malone challenge, said: “It was a bizarre game.
“They were very clinical. But when you look at the game I thought that West Brom were in the ascendancy all the way.
“We had some half chances but tonight it wasn’t to be.
“Whether it was a bizarre game or a bad day at the office it is what it is.
“I thought that maybe the changing part of the game was the incident with Dwight.
“From where I was standing I didn’t think that Dwight would go down like that when he has a chance to score.
“My players stayed on it and huffed and puffed but well done to Derby. They showed some clinical finishes.
“They got the goals and we didn’t. We got into good positions but we didn’t capitalise on them.
“We are a team in transition and we are working on every single area to get better.”
