Jerry Yates rescued a point for Derby County as his stoppage-time penalty earned a 1-1 draw against Norwich City.

After Josh Sargent had put the hosts ahead in the second half, Yates levelled when he smashed home from the spot after Marcus Harness had been kicked in the face.

After Paul Warne was sacked as head coach yesterday, Derby arrived with a game plan to frustrate a Norwich side that was trying to maintain pressure on the top six.

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Norwich struggled to fashion a way through the centre of the pitch, with the visitors happy to pounce on any attacking opportunities on the counter-attack. In fact, Derby had the ball in the back of the net which was the result of an excellent move which ended with Ben Osborn crossing for Lars-Jorgen Salvesen smashing into the roof of the net.

But his joy was shortlived as the flag went up for offside. At the end, former Derby winger Lewis Dobbin swept a shot beyond Jacob Widell Zetterstrom, but the referee's assistant also chalked off that goal.

In the second half, the Canaries came close from a dangerous free-kick which was headed across goal by Shane Duffy, but cleared at the back post by Nathaniel Mendez-Laing.

Derby had some encouraging moments when Nathaniel Mendez-Laing got in behind the Norwich defence, but chose the wrong option. But the Norwich goal came at the end of a wonderful one-touch move that ended with Sargent crashing a shot past Zetterstrom. But in stoppage time, Harness was rewarded with a penalty after he was kicked in the face and Yates slotted straight down the middle.

Great spirit

It was a dramatic and somewhat emotional 24 hours after Paul Warne was sacked on Friday, not long after he had taken training ahead of the clash at Carrow Road.

But despite the events off the pitch dominating the agenda, the players produced a spirited performance on it, and they were certainly worth their point. Having avoided an eighth straight league defeat, it should give them plenty of confidence ahead of Tuesday night's clash with Oxford United in what many see as one of the biggest games of the season so far.

Derby had worked on a game plan that had centred on being well-organised while trying to take advantage of counter-attacking opportunities, and they were so well-disciplined here that Norwich simply ran out of ideas in the first half. Jacob Widell Zetterstrom had a very quiet opening 45 minutes until Norwich tried to up the tempo in the second half, and you sensed it would take something special to find a chink in Derby's armour.

In fairness, the move that led to Josh Sargent's opening goal was a terrific one-touch passing move that showed what can happen when you quicken up your attack. But despite falling behind, Derby showed excellent spirit and kept plugging away in the hope of salvaging an equaliser. Marcus Harness showed tremendous bravery to put his head where it hurt to win the penalty, and Jerry Yates was ice cool from the spot.

That ensured Derby took a point back to the East Midlands, and the reaction at full-time told its own story as relief dripped from the terraces amid cries of "the Rams are staying up, ole, ole." The players enjoyed the moment amid some powerful scenes at a club desperate to climb out of trouble.

The challenge facing the new manager

Should John Eustace become the man to replace Paul Warne as Derby County's new head coach, then he will be more than aware of the problem he needs to solve, as will any other of the candidates.

Derby are always defensively solid, which gives them a firm platform on which to build, but the other end of the pitch is what needs attention.

In the second half, Nathaniel Mendez-Laing twice got in behind the Norwich defence but couldn't produce the final pass. That has been a common theme for this Derby team, which is one of the reasons why they find themselves below the dreaded bottom line.

With the transfer window now closed, the incoming boss will have to work with what he has unless Derby decides to enter the free-agent market. That was being explored before Warne departed and it's still an option on the table.

If Warne's successor can solve the problem of creating chances in open play, then Derby have a chance of staying up. But it needs to happen quickly.

Langas looks the part

Sondre Langas certainly would not have expected such a chaotic and dramatic end to his first week at Pride Park after sealing a £4m move from Viking FK. Before his exit on Friday, Paul Warne had always planned to give the Norwegian international his debut and the team he picked remained in place under the excellent leadership of first-team coach Matt Hamshaw.

Langas was dropped into the heart of the defence and having arrived as one of Norway's hottest prospects, he produced an excellent performance that has already created a buzz on the terraces. It was enough to land him the man of the match award following a display in which the 23-year-old oozed composure, awareness and a great deal of pace.

First impressions count for a lot, and the way he turned on the afterburners in a powerful run in the first half immediately caught the eye. He also made a couple of vital clearances and was always checking his rear-view mirrors.

Hamshaw heaped praise on Langas' performance and rightly so. If this what he is like after just a week's training, and Hamshaw said he is effectively still in pre-season having not played competitively since December, imagine how good he will be once he has fully settled in.

Serious conversation about VAR

For the second time this season, Derby were involved in another controversial decision against Norwich after Lars-Jorgen Salvesen saw a goal ruled out for offside in the first half.

Video evidence showed he was behind the ball when Ben Osborn produced a terrific cross which ended with the Norwegian thrashing past Angus Gunn.

But his joy was shortlived as the flag went up. It all happened so quickly that the referee's assistant had a split second to make the call. But first goals are so important and with Derby fighting tooth and nail to climb out of the relegation zone, the officials need to ensure they are doing everything to make the right call.

There has been much discussion about VAR and whether it should be introduced in the Championship. Traditionalists argue that technology is not required in the second tier.

But it's getting to the stage where it's becoming too hard to ignore. After Leicester were knocked out of the FA Cup by a Harry Maguire goal that was clearly offside, it shows why VAR is needed. Given the speed of the game, the referees and their assistants need help. There has to be a serious conversation about bringing it into the Championship.

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