Derby County knocked José Mourinho’s Manchester United out of the Carabao Cup but found the going far from easy against Accrington Stanley in the FA Cup on their latest visit to the north-west. A Martyn Waghorn goal 12 minutes from time put the Championship side through in a game that ended with both teams down to 10 men, though Stanley had to play shorthanded for most of the second half and even then the supposed gulf between the two sides was far from obvious.
When Jayden Bogle’s professional foul on Paul Smyth earned the Derby right-back a straight red in the final minute Billy Kee had a chance of an equaliser with a free-kick on the edge of the area. He found a way past the wall and his low shot was headed for the bottom corner until a fine, full-length save from Kelle Roos pushed the ball round a post. That was the crucial moment of the game and though Derby had made more chances they could not have complained had they been pegged back and taken to a replay.
The visitors perhaps ought to have been more clinical with late opportunities to make the game safe, for they spent the last 10 minutes defending desperately as Accrington tried everything to get back on terms.
“I was worried about a replay at 0-0, and I was still worried at 1-0,” Frank Lampard said. “In these games you need two goals before you can relax. We knew it would be difficult here and it was. I wouldn’t say we came through with flying colours, but we came through.”
The Accrington manager, John Coleman, was scathing about the referee, Jon Moss, both on the pitch and in refusing to speak to him afterwards. “It was a game played in a terrific spirit yet it ended up with four yellows and two reds,” he said, before explaining he was aggrieved about a foul given in the buildup to the goal and the second yellow shown to Dan Barlaser.
“When I complained during the game the referee told me he hadn’t yet decided whether to send me off, when I tried to approach him afterwards it was as if I wasn’t allowed in the same room. I used to be a schoolteacher too, but I don’t speak to people as condescendingly as that. His arrogance defies belief.”
While Coleman’s language was colourful, his complaints were fairly tenuous, though he was right in stating there was no visible difference when Accrington’s numbers were reduced. Both sides had created early chances with Waghorn seeing a header saved from Scott Malone’s cross and Jordan Clark missing the target from a promising position when supplied by Sean McConville at the other end.
Clark proved quite lively for the home side in the opening exchanges, putting a shot narrowly wide from the edge of the area then playing in Johnson on the overlap, who shot rather tamely across goal with a decent opportunity.
Derby began the second half as if keen to up the tempo, with Mason Bennett and Duane Holmes showing up well with breaks down the left. They could not find a way past the home back three, however, and Stanley might have gone in front just before the hour when it took a good block from Fikayo Tomori to prevent a shot from Barlaser reaching the target. Less than a minute later the Newcastle loanee was trudging off the pitch, having picked up a second yellow for a foul on David Nugent following his first-half caution for bringing down Harry Wilson. That ought to have seen Derby get on top, though the next two goal opportunities were fashioned by the home side, with Kee first shooting over then heading wide.
Nugent and Waghorn could have done better with a chance on the break when Stanley found themselves stretched, though it hardly seemed to matter when the Derby finally opened the scoring. The impressive Holmes cut in from the left to see a shot blocked, allowing Waghorn to pounce on the loose ball.
Then came the late drama with Jonny Maxted saving from Bennett to prevent Derby extending their lead and Bogle rightly being dismissed after being caught out by the home side’s speed on the break and Smyth’s excellent first touch.
The four minutes of stoppage time were as breathlessly entertaining as any fan of Cup football could wish with Derby just able to hang on for victory. “It was a proper game,” Lampard said. Coleman said he just felt sick.