Derby have faced Manchester United three times this season, all in crucial Cup fixtures. It took a tense return leg for Man Utd to beat Derby in the Carling Cup so hopes were high for Derby to improve on their previous attempt against the world’s finest.

Man Utd dominate the game from the off with two strong efforts from Darren Fletcher and Ji-Sung Park but it was Nani who broke the deadlock after 29 minutes with a ferocious shot from 20 yards.

It looked like Cristiano Ronaldo had doubled the lead shortly after but, thankfully, the ref disallowed his attempt after a long debate with the linesman.

Unfortunately, Darron Gibson succeeded in doubling the lead just before half time, volleying in his effort from 18 yards.

After the break, it was much of the same. Man Utd were the dominating side while Derby pushed hard with little return.

It didn’t take long for Ronaldo to extend Man Utd’s lead, nodding in a third for Man Utd, essentially hitting the nail in the coffin for Derby.

In the 56th minute, Miles Addison threw Derby a lifeline after Robbie Savage took a quick free kick, Kris Commons centering it for Addison to head in, taking the score to 3-1.

This gave Derby the confidence to power forward, knowing they were capable of taking the scores level from recent efforts. Gary Teale kept breaking the Man Utd defence for the following 30 minutes but Derby failed to show any creativity in the box.

It was Danny Wellbeck who had the final say though. Fletcher flicked the ball to the left for Wellbeck to curl straight past Bywater.

That, they say, is the end of that chapter. Derby have had quite successful Cup campaigns this season and have only been beaten by the team who are looking to take all five trophies this season. It’s not a bad way to bow out.

Now it’s time to concentrate on the more important league and work our way out of the bottom half of the table. First up, Blackpool!

After Kris Commons gave Derby the edge over Manchester United in the first leg of the Carling Cup, expectations were high for a similar performance on their return journey to Old Trafford. Nigel Clough’s first game in charge against QPR wasn’t particularly successful so there was a lot of pressure on the Super Rams.

It didn’t take long for Man Utd to level the scores when striker Nani punched a ferocious strike past Roy Carroll in the 16th minute.

That wasn’t the end of it neither. Man Utd were keen to show Derby who was boss with John O’Shea and Carlos Tevez both firing home goals past Derby’s broken defence in the first half, essentially wrapping up the tie.

After the break, Derby came back out with a stronger attitude. Clough had obviously inspired the boys with some harsh words and it showed. There were quite a few oppotunities when Derby looked to recoup their losses, slipping through Man Utd’s defence and retaliating on the break.

In the 80th minute, Derby were thrown a life line when Paul Green was brought down in the box from an injured Jonny Evans. Substitute Giles Barnes took decided to take the responsibility and rightly so – it was 3-2 with 10 minutes left to play.

Nine minutes later, Caroll foolishly bought down Tevez in the box, allowing Cristiano Ronaldo to hammer home another for Man Utd.

That didn’t stop Derby fighting though. Barnes stepped up for a free kick during injury time and proved why he is such a star striker, whacking another past Foster, handing Derby one last chance of taking it to extra time.

But it wasn’t to be. The whistle was blown and Derby’s dream of a trip to Wembley crumbled away.

Regardless of the defeat, Derby proved they are capable of some astonishing performances. At times, they were the stronger team against England’s finest. Man Utd could never take that pride away from Derby.