Derby County and Wolves supporters will have very different memories of April clash that produced outrageous moment: View | OneFootball

Ruben Neves' volley is still a defining image of Wolves' promotion campaign at the Rams' expense.

Derby County's 2017/18 campaign is perhaps most fondly remembered for Matej Vydra's goalscoring record and dominant defensive victories, however, one moment in April 2018 still lives on in the memories of both Rams and Wolves supporters alike.

The current Premier League side were exceptional in the Championship six years ago, and were rightful champions by the end of it. A mix of experienced EFL stalwarts and young talents from Portugal were the lifeblood of Nuno Espírito Santo's team.

The two teams met in the first month of the season at Pride Park Stadium, and although Derby went on to finish in the top six, there was an obvious gulf in quality between the two sides, as the visitors ran out 2–0 winners without ever being challenged.

Over the course of the next eight months, the team from the Black Country continued to ease past their opponents, mostly without a hitch, and after going top on October 31 2017, they never relinquished their hold on to first.

When the clubs competed directly once again at the end of the campaign, one moment defined the entire game and season.

Ruben Neves stole the show with a wonderstrike

There was a lot at stake heading into the fixture. There were just a handful of games left in the season and Wolves were nearing the title, knowing that a victory would put them just four points away from winning the league.

Derby, on the other hand, had started to turn a corner after a dreadful run of form in February and March that took them away from challenging for automatic promotion. Under Gary Rowett, the Rams knew that they had to start winning on a more consistent basis to avoid being caught by Preston North End and Millwall.

Nevertheless, in what looked to be a fantastic battle between two top-six teams with very differing styles of play, Wolves quickly took the upper hand and never looked back.

Current Liverpool star, Diogo Jota, opened the scoring early on, affirming their dominance over a dismal Rams team on the day, but it was Ruben Neves' strike that put the game into Championship folklore.

Just six minutes after halftime, Wolves won a corner, and after Chris Baird thought that he had cleared the danger, Neves teed himself up for a volley 30 yards from goal, striking the ball into the top corner, leaving Scott Carson sprawled out on the floor wondering what had just happened.

Supporters from both clubs who were present that day at Molineux will never forget that goal, with home fans remembering it much more fondly. If Derby had won promotion the following month, it perhaps would not have been as much of a blight on their season, but once again the club failed in the play-offs.

Derby and Wolves have gone in very different directions since

Six years after that game, the two clubs are back to having just one division between them for the first time since 2022.

Derby came close to a return to the Premier League in the 2018/19 season under Frank Lampard, losing at Wembley in the play-off final to Aston Villa, but then struggled. The Rams finished 10th in their next campaign before staying in the second tier by the skin of their teeth in 2020/21 with Wayne Rooney as manager.

A year later, they were relegated after entering administration and, after missing out on a top-six finish in League One in their first season, they finished as runners-up to Portsmouth last year and have enjoyed a good start to life back in the Championship.

Meanwhile, Wolves have remained a Premier League team as well as embarking on a European campaign, reaching the quarter-finals of the Europa League in 2019/20.

Neves has moved on, leaving in the big-money move that always felt likely, albeit to Saudi Arabia rather than a big European club, and Wolves fans are now left with the memory of that wonderstrike. It was a season-defining moment and one that Rams supporters may reflect on very differently.