Football: Pleat under fire as Wednesday let in five

Derby recorded their first away win of the season last night by thrashing Sheffield Wednesday 5-2 at Hillsborough on a night when FA as in Premiership stood for Foreign Army. All the goals were scored by foreign internationals and even the Wednesday player sent off, Patrick Blondeau, is French.

In the first quarter of an hour, Paolo Di Canio, fed by his fellow Italian Benito Carbone, put Wednesday ahead, another Italian, Francesco Baiano, equalised and Carbone put Wednesday ahead again from the penalty spot after Di Canio was brought down.

Matters then took a turn for the worse for Wednesday. The Dane Jakob Laursen hit Derby's equaliser through a crowd of players in the 26th minute. Seven minutes later the Costa Rican Paulo Wanchope put Derby ahead, and, shortly after the interval, more poor Wednesday defending allowed Baiano to add Derby's fourth.

Then Blondeau was shown the red card for a foul on Deon Burton, the British- born Jamaican international who scored Derby's fifth 15 minutes from time.

In the night's other Premiership match, Coventry City and Crystal Palace drew 1-1 at Highfield Road, where Dion Dublin put Coventry ahead after eight minutes and Jamie Fullarton equalised a minute later.