If Burton Albion's players had forgotten what it felt like to win at the Pirelli Stadium, the Brewers fans had certainly not forgotten how to celebrate it.

The scenes as Lucas Akins made it 3-1, as Stephen Bywater dived to keep out Matej Vydra's late penalty and as Shaun Barker hoofed a clearance upfield in injury time have been few and far between in East Staffordshire this season.

After all, this was Albion's first triumph on home soil in seven months.

A total of 210 days had passed between the 2-1 victory over Fulham and a second consecutive home success over their neighbours from up the A38.

Lucas Akins applauds the crowd after Burton Albion's 3-1 win over Derby County
Lucas Akins applauds the crowd after Burton Albion's 3-1 win over Derby County

Just like the first one, this was as special as they come for Burton Albion in English football's second tier, against the team who for so many years were brought to Eton Park and the Pirelli for high-profile pre-season friendlies.

And this victory was built on the same characteristics as the first - intensity, desire, work-rate and, when it really mattered, quality.

Intensity from Hope Akpan and Luke Murphy as Burton's driving force through the middle.

Desire from Ben Turner, out of position at left-back due to Albion's injury crisis yet brilliant in constantly getting across to thwart Derby's wide threats.

Work rate from 19-year-old academy graduate Joe Sbarra, a tiresome runner in attack and defence alike on the wing.

Quality from Jacob Davenport, repeatedly seeking the ball under pressure.

Quality from Murphy to curl home a beautiful goal on the stroke of half-time.

Quality from Liam Boyce in a stunning all-round centre-forward display.

All of those attributes will be needed in abundance over the final three games if Burton are to do the unthinkable and avoid relegation.

This victory will, if nothing else, reignite their faint hopes of doing that.

It was some response to the midweek humbling at Hull City's hands.

Hope Akpan battles away
Hope Akpan battles away

That defeat had not only hurt Burton's survival chances but the very make-up of their squad, with Tom Naylor, Lloyd Dyer, Marvin Sordell and Tom Flanagan all ruled out for Derby's visit.

It meant Nigel Clough could not even name a full matchday 18, with only six substitutes on the bench and only two to have started a game for Albion this season. There was a first senior inclusion for academy winger Reece Hutchinson, too.

Darren Bent, meanwhile, was ineligble to face his parent side, meaning Boyce was back to working as a lone striker.

No matter.

After a dour opening 20 minutes in which neither team looked keen to take any risks in possession, it was the Brewers' record signing who got the breakthrough.

Liam Boyce celebrates opening the scoring against Derby County
Liam Boyce celebrates opening the scoring against Derby County

It owed much to the well-timed pressing of Akpan in midfield. He won the ball from a sloppy Andre Wisdom pass and play was recycled to Sbarra out on the left.

Sbarra curled a cross to the far post, where Murphy was lurking to control and skid it across the face of Scott Carson's goal for Boyce to poke home the sort of close-range finish that Clough insists he could have been taking all season, were it not for that untimely ACL injury.

Given Burton's perceived fragility this season, there were more than a few worried faces when David Nugent got the Rams on level terms five minutes later.

Tom Lawrence was the architect, bending a pinpoint cross in from the left that just evaded the head of Buxton and fell nicely onto Nugent's, with the Rams frontman powering it past Stephen Bywater.

It was one of the few times that an experienced Albion rearguard was unlocked, on an afternoon that harked back to some of the best wins of the 2016-17 Championship vintage.

McFadzean and Buxton read Derby's forward passes well to cut them out before Derby's forwards could latch on and cause damage, while the aerial battle was one in which Albion emphatically excelled.

This game turned in the midfield, though.

While Davenport was Burton's metronome, collecting play and easing any pressure from deep, it left Akpan and Murphy to hurry, hassle and harry the visitors into submission.

Akins and Sbarra were implicit in that too, with the latter forcing Carson into an impressive save with a fizzing drive from distance.

This was Sbarra's most complete performance yet in an Albion shirt, and it was his pass across the edge of the Derby box that reached Murphy after possession was won upfield moments later.

Brayford's clever overlapping run allowed the Leeds United loanee the space to push forward, cut onto his left foot and bend a fine finish around Carson for 2-1.

Luke Murphy scores the Brewers' second goal against Derby County
Luke Murphy scores the Brewers' second goal against Derby County

Derby looked to hit back again during a sustained period of pressure at the start of the second half.

But there was a lack of invention or incision to unlock the Burton defence, with selfless, tireless work from Albion's midfield five overwhelming the Rams' attacking threats.

There was no less energy upfield from Clough's side, who had appeared to lack that extra yard in midweek.

It was typified by the display of Boyce, who bossed Derby's centre-halves, holding play up with his back to goal and bringing his teammates into play.

John Brayford gets up to head the ball clear against Derby County

He also acted as the first line of defence, as he did to nick the ball off Tom Huddlestone as he dallied on the edge of his own box.

From that piece of work, Albion capitalised, with Boyce eventually picking out Akpan, whose shot was parried by Carson into the path of Akins, who slammed home from close range.

One gilt-edged Nugent chance aside, a toothless Derby rarely threatened a response until the late stages.

That was when substitute Cameron Jerome won a questionable penalty at the expense of Buxton, only for Vydra to see his spot-kick saved by the legs of Bywater.

That about summed up the opposing performances of the teams - and it elicited the loudest cheer of the day.

Lucas Akins scores Burton Albion's third against Derby County
Lucas Akins scores Burton Albion's third against Derby County

Those cheers were followed by applause from all sides of the ground soon after, when Barker, who confirmed on Wednesday that he will retire at the end of the season, was introduced as a 95th-minute substitute for his first appearance of the season.

It was a sentimental conclusion to a game where Burton showed all the heart and got their reward.

With Sunderland, Barnsley and Bolton Wanderers all drawing, the result moved the Brewers to within five points of safety and sets up next weekend's trip to the Stadium of Light as a titanic clash in the relegation tussle.

Liam Boyce shows exactly what it means as Burton Albion beat Derby County

Albion will head into it reenergised and full of belief after this triumph.

It may yet prove too little, too late, of course, and there will be some frustrated that there have not been more afternoons like this at the Pirelli in the past six months.

But whatever happens in the next three weeks, this will go down as another halycon afternoon for the Brewers - and it was celebrated as such.