Anyone who reads my reports will know I like to start off by criticising; today is not such a day as I don't feel it would be suitable.

Derby County 0-1 Manchester United

Yes, we lost again and failed to score but my word did we give the champions a real fight, the sort of fight which I had believed had long since departed Pride Park.

I admit such fight probably won't be on display at the Riverside next week and that's our key failing but ignoring that I'd like to applaud every player, coach and fan who wore the black and white yesterday; they were magnificent.

We know that the support has been worthy of applause virtually every week but this time they were backed up by the players who gave absolutely everything into halting their more illustrious opponents.

There was no bad performance among the Derby players; Savage, Sterjovski, Jones and even Eddie Lewis had terrific games that defied all of the critics and whom for once made us feel almost like we were a real Premier League outfit.

We couldn't hold out for result but in the end it didn't really matter; the game is up but the lift was a welcome one and if we could just follow it up with a similar sort of performance against Middlesbrough we may even win a game or two.

It could have been so much better for the Rams had they managed to take one of three glorious first half chances that came our way. The first was a heart in mouth affair as Eddie Lewis (yes Eddie Lewis!) went on a storming run down the left, past John O'Shea before whipping in a superb ball which Sterjovski acrobatically fired at goal only for Ben Foster to pull off a superb save to keep the score level.

The Rams were not finished though and Earnshaw soon sent Miller clear of Vidic, the Scot took the ball in his stride and hit a low shot which again Foster did brilliantly to keep out; hopefully England coach Franco Tancredi is keeping an eye on the United shot stopper.

The third and final of the Rams big chances screamed goal but just fell short; Sterjovski combined with Edworthy before putting in a superb whipped cross which was inches above the dive of Earnshaw; any lower and the net would have rippled but it was not be.

As you would expect United had more of the ball and indeed more of the chances but you would expect that given the names we were facing; Ronaldo, Rooney, Giggs and Scholes would all grace any team and they carved apart a fair few times but that will always happen and what makes a team is their ability to survive under such circumstances which we did right up until the 75th minute when Rooney, who looked offside, laid on a cross for Ronaldo to side foot past the otherwise brilliant Carroll to seal a three points they didn't look like getting at times.

It's defeat again for the Rams but some fight and desire and finally a good performance from a certain Mr. Savage.

Rams: Carroll 9; Edworthy 7 (Todd 6); McEveley 7; Moore 8; Sterjovski 8 (Robert 5); Lewis 8; Jones 8; Earnshaw 7 (Villa 5); Miller 7; Leacock 7; Savage 8.

Man Utd: Foster; O'Shea; Evra; Vidic; Brown; Giggs; Ronaldo; Scholes (Carrick); Park (Saha); Rooney; Anderson (Fletcher).

Referee: P. Dowd.

Attendance: 33,072.

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