Jacob Butterfield's brace has given Derby County a 2-0 lead over Hull City at the KC Stadium.
Cyrus Christie was presented with a chance in the early stages when a run took him into the box, but a moment of hesitation allowed Harry Maguire to block the shot.
Allan McGregor was forced to make his first save just a few moments later when George Thorne's deflected long-range shot needed pushing past the post.
A clever passing move produced the opening goal when the visitors retained possession impressively on the edge of the box, before Butterfield showed his composure to slot past the helpless McGregor.
Hull responded well to enjoy a spell on top as they searched for an equaliser, but it was the visitors who found the crucial second goal to take full control of the game.
Christie received the ball out wide and despite seeing his cross cut out in the box, Butterfield reacted quickest to the loose ball to fire home from the edge of the box.
The Tigers threatened to pull a goal back before the break when Tom Huddlestone unleashed a long-range strike, but Scott Carson pushed the ball to safety before keeping out a Abel Hernandez effort to protect the two-goal advantage.
Callum Mulvihill
