Carlton Morris has been awarded.
- 6 County Championship clash at Bramall Lane—delivering his first career hat-trick and walking away with the match-ball after a convincin 3-1 away victory.
The three goals
- The first goal came in the 24th minute. From a corner whipped in by Joe Ward, Morris rose highest in the six-yard box to nod Derby into the lead.
- Mere seconds after the restart of the second half, he finished off a slick attack—receiving the ball from Sydie Peck and dinking it over the goalkeeper to make it 2-0.
- His hat-trick was sealed in the 63rd minute when substitute Alex Matos handled the ball in the area and Morris stepped up to calmly convert from the penalty spot.
Why this matters
- For Derby, it marked their third consecutive championship win, a run of form providing some breathing space in the mid-table.
- For Morris, who joined Derby from Luton Town in June 2025 on a three-year contract, this hat-trick was a clear indicator of his capabilities and his importance to the team’s attacking hopes.
- Meanwhile, it deepened Sheffield United’s troubles; the home side gifted all three goals and remain in the relegation zone, with morale clearly low.
Morris’s role and rise
Morris has long been a centre-forward capable of holding up play, getting on the end of crosses and finishing chances. His trajectory has included stints at Norwich, Barnsley and most recently Luton, where he was a key goalscorer before his move to Derby.
Against Sheffield United, his movement, aerial presence and clinical finishing combined for a textbook striker’s afternoon.
Impact of the performance
- The performance will significantly boost his confidence and his standing at Derby. A hat-trick away from home is always eye-catching, and it plants a marker for opposition defences.
- For Derby’s supporters, Morris’s match-ball night offers hope that the club has found a genuine attacking talisman. One fan on Reddit put it simply:
“What a shame we had that awful run of games where we forgot to make any chances for Morris.”
- From a tactical viewpoint, it underlines how Derby’s set-pieces (first goal) and transitional play (second goal) are paying dividends—something manager John Eustace and his staff will be pleased with.
- On the flip side, this highlights the frailties of Sheffield United: poor organisation, weak decisions and failure to deal with key moments. Their manager Chris Wilder lamented the lack of control in both penalty and open-play areas.
Looking ahead
For Morris, the challenge now is consistency. One outstanding performance is brilliant, but sustaining this level will be key if he is to carry Derby’s attacking burden. For the club, this match could serve as a springboard to better form—if they build on it rather than treating it as an outlier.
In short: Carlton Morris didn’t just turn up—he owned the game. And for Derby County, that may just be the injection of belief they need right now.
