Derby County punishment was cruel but there is one harsh lesson to learn and fast
Derby County suffered a gut-wrenching defeat at the hands of Luton Town as two stoppage time goals earned them a 2-1 win at Kenilworth Road.
Derby could have fallen behind early on when Carlton Morris met a superb free-kick from Jordan Clark but just flashed his header wide of the post.
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Jacob Widell Zetterstrom then made a save to deny Chong before Elder made another outstanding block to thwart Jacob Brown after Carlton Morris' cross had made its way to him in the area.
Derby had done their best to create openings, with Jerry Yates flashing a cross into the box but nobody was on hand to capitalise. But right before half-time, Ben Osborn teased a ball to the back post which was a whisker away from being headed in by Adams who had given Chong the slip.
Derby carried much more threat in the second half as Jackson forced a save from Kaminski before Victor Moses made a superb block to deny Kane Wilson a repeat of his goal against Portsmouth last week.
And the breakthrough Derby craved came when Wilson darted down the right and picked out Jackson at the back post and the forward guided a superb header inside the far post. At the other end, Zetterstrom did superbly to deny Morris's header before Kenzo Goudmijn saw Thomas Kaminski tip his effort around the post.
But Luton were level when Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu scored with a deflected strike as his shot cannoned off Tom Holmes and then Carlton Morris struck moments later when his shot hit Curtis Nelson and flew in to seal the points.
Here's the talking points from last night's game...
Football a cruel mistress
When the full-time whistle pierced the air at Kenilworth Road, everybody of the black-and-white persuasion struggled to comprehend the outcome. This was a game in which their spirit and endeavour deserved some kind of reward, not the heartbreaking twist of fate they were eventually subjected to. As it was, two extremely unlucky deflections turned this game on its head in stoppage time on a night that does not make you envious of being a football manager.
Derby fans will know they have had some hard-luck stories over the years, and this was another one to shove in the in-tray. After a second-half performance that was as much about guts as adventure, Paul Warne's side had looked an extremely good bet to take all three points once Kayden Jackson had given them a deserved lead.
It was a brilliantly executed header from the striker, and as Derby kept the back door shut owed to one superb save from Jacob Widell Zetterstrom, Luton looked to have run out of ideas. Rob Edwards eventually went for broke and stuck up five up front in the vain hope it would have some impact. It was a desperate throw of the dice rather than a masterstroke of tactical genius. Sometimes your luck is in and a combination of Tom Holmes' back and Curtis Nelson's shoulder combined to give him and Luton all three points. Maybe he should buy a lottery ticket this weekend. As Warne pointed out post-match, you can debate whether Derby deserved all three points, but they were definitely full value for one. Such punishment was hard to take, but football can and often is an exceptionally cruel mistress.
Some good performances
Callum Elder had his best game in a Derby shirt in a performance that was a mixture of attacking bravery and defensive quality. Nat Phillips won the majority of his duels in the back three in what was another excellent display.
Jacob Widell Zetterstrom made a couple of superb saves and Ebou Adams did what he does best. In fact there were a lot of performances that didn't dip below seven out of 10. Warne said the dressing room was naturally devastated at what occurred in the final minutes, but once the raw emotions wear off, they will hopefully recognise that there was a lot to like against a team who were playing Premier League football last season.
And you sense with a bit more magic in the final third, which hopefully should come in January, then Derby will have more than enough about them to stay out of trouble at the bottom. Last night will hurt, but performances like that should, over the course of the season, bank more points than lose them.
Game management lacking
While Derby's second-half performance was undoubtedly worth some reward, there is a firm argument that they could have managed the game better in the final minutes.
Warne said it became like a school match in the dying embers of a gripping contest, but it desperately needed somebody to grab it by the scruff of the neck. It was similar to the Sheffield Wednesday game when Jamal Lowe popped up with a stoppage-time winner at Pride Park a few weeks back.
There is nothing wrong with running the clock down in the corners, keeping possession, even smashing balls out of the stadium. Derby do not seem to be very savvy at that side of the game and it's one aspect we can take issue with given that there was enough experience out there to recognise it.
If Derby had managed those minutes better, they would probably have come away with their second away win of the season. There are definitely lessons to be learned and harsh ones at that.
Terrific support on the road
Paul Warne made a note of mentioning the fans in his post-match interview for applauding the team off even though they ended up losing.
Kenilworth Road is not the most salubrious of stadiums and you can understand why Luton are keen on moving stadium because their current home has run its course. Derby fans were tucked away in the corner of the ground behind the goal and they made plenty of noise in the last away game before 2025.
Having set a club record for away wins in League One last season, it just goes to show how significant the step up is in quality to the Championship.
But despite seeing one away win, they still travel in their numbers and they are always loud and proud. They were a credit to themselves and the club on a night when such backing didn't warrant such a cruel ending.
