Lions defeat Brøndby in thrilling derby
F.C. Copenhagen beat Brøndby 3-0 in Brøndby Stadium to maintain the pace at the top of the Danish Superliga with just three games of the season remaining.
Jordan Larsson put the Lions in front midway through the first half with a cool finish off Thomas Delaney's flick. Victor Froholdt smashed home FCK's second just after the hour mark, before Gabriel Pereira headed in a corner to seal the points.
“We haven't won by three goals in the Superliga this season, and we just did it in an away derby, and I'm of course very pleased with that,” said Jacob Neestrup afterwards.
“It was an even match, where we were again very effective in our finishing, but there were also periods at the start of both halves where they put heavy pressure on us and created more chances.
“But we stood up well and fought well for each other when we were under pressure, and we also had a top-class keeper (Diant Ramaj) who delivered for us. He had been looking forward to getting out there, like a little kid, and he showed a huge mentality.
“The match also developed as we had hoped; we gradually got more and more space, and when they switched to a back four we knew that we would be able to hold on to the ball better."
Next up for FCK is a home clash with Viborg in the Danish Cup semi-finals second leg on Thursday, with the Lions leading 1-0 at the halfway stage.
Then, the players regroup to host FC Midtjylland in a table-topping clash on Sunday.
“Of course this win means a lot for the table but it also means we can give the fans a great derby victory, and I hope they enjoyed it inside Parken or at home on the TV," added Neestrup.
“I told the players that we had to go into the dressing room quickly after the final whistle so that we didn’t risk any scenes like the last one inside Parken last time, but of course we enjoyed the victory.
"We have done a good job, and we can come in to training with smiles on our faces tomorrow, but then we have to move on, because there are two important matches coming up next week."