Much of this FA Cup tie was a bit of an anxiety fest, but in the end Leeds had too much for our Championship opponents, and we got safely through to the next round.

Daniel Farke made eight changes to his starting line-up, but the side still had quite a strong look about it, with all eleven starters having featured in the Premier League at some point this season. And a number of big names were available on the bench in case things didn’t go to plan, with Gudmonsson and Rodon the only rested players to be left out of the matchday squad altogether.

We began with a 3-4-3 formation, with Ampadu playing in defence, though I was a little concerned that there we had no full backs. This could have left us exposed if Derby had attacked down the flanks. It’s optimistic to expect Gnonto and Harrison to defend properly, even when they manage to track back.

The first half hour of the game was fairly even, and we didn’t make the best use of what possession we had. Okafor sent a shot well over the bar and a powerfully struck Gnonto shot was straight at Zetterstrom, but several moves broke down due to overhit crosses. Harrison was the guilty party on more than one occasion.

I won’t say Harrison looked rusty after his lack of game time, but I doubt he tested positive for WD40. When we finally woke up Prioe crashed a shot against the post from a narrow angle, before Zetterstrom produced a fine double save from Okafor and the Gruev. Gruev was flagged offside anyway, but the Derby keeper didn’t know that at the time.

And then we seemed to have the ideal opportunity to take the lead, after Zetterstrom fell across Nmecha as the German tried to go round him, and the referee pointed to the spot. Piroe struck the penalty well but didn’t get it right in the corner, so Zetterstrom was able to save once he’d gone the right way.

That’s the second consecutive penalty missed by the man some call the ‘best natural finisher at the club’, if you count the shoot out at Hillsborough. The game had finally come to life, but it was Derby who took the lead in the 35th minute, exploiting our lack of wide defensive cover with a move down their left flank.

There was a shout for a penalty as Gnonto clattered into Corey Blackett-Taylor, but Brereton Diaz didn’t wait for the verdict, as he pounced on the loose ball to send it in front of Darlow and inside the far post. We tried to get back at Derby straight away, but they got men back in numbers now they had a lead to protect, and that man Zetterstrom made further saves from Piroe and Okafor.

So at half time the game was pretty much following the template for all our cup upsets of recent years, with Leeds spurning several decent chances, and the opposition scoring with their only decent attack. And the 1-0 scoreline was the same as our last three games against teams managed by John Eustace, so the omens weren’t good.

If Eustace has had the Indian sign over Farke then much has depended on the organisation and hard work of his teams, but a few Derby fans on social media have criticised the change he made at half time. New signing Fraulo came off, apparently through being not quite fit enough for ninety minutes, and Ebou Adams.

Apparently Adams was a bit of a star man in Derby’s League 1 days, but always likely to be out of his depth against Premier League opponents. We also made a change, with Bornauw coming off (apparently through a slight injury) and Justin taking his place. So rather belatedly we did have one proper full back!

In the second period Derby began to fade, but could we find the finish to take advantage and get our FA Cup hopes back on track? It took another ten minutes to do so, but then Bijol was allowed to venture downfield as the home side retreated, and Piroe cleverly and unselfishly allowed his pass to run through, knowing that Gnonto was racing through behind him, completely unmarked.

Willy smashed his shot into the net from the edge of the area, and for once Zetterstrom couldn’t get anywhere near it. And four minutes later we were in front, when Zetterstrom did manage to make another save from Prioe’s fierce low save, but Tanaka reacted faster than the defender to turn the rebound into the net from close range.

All of which left me feeling relieved rather than triumphant, and although the Derby players were starting to look disconsolate and worn out, I still thought we needed another goal to seal the win. It could have come from a close range Nmecha header, but the Rams’ keeper was on hand to make yet another fine save.

Longstaff made a welcome return to action in place of Gruev to give us a bit more experience for the run-in. As we went into the last ten minutes I thought Derby were starting to show a little more urgency, and we had to win a few headers as they sent a series of balls into the box, though they were kind enough to shoot either straight at Darlow or well wide.

Our final three subs had a whiff of protecting the lead we had, as midfielders Stach and Aaronson replaced forwards Okafor and Piroe, while Byram came on for Gnoto to give us two proper full backs. Yay! So perhaps Farke shared my anxiety that although we didn’t seem to be in much danger, Derby were still in the game while the score remained at 2-1.

But despite the bolstering of our defensive ranks, it was Leeds who were able to break downfield and score the final goal of the game. Nmecha took the ball down the left and spotted Justin of all people racing through unmarked in the centre. The full back shot first time rather than trying to take the ball round the keeper, but for once Zetterstrom didn’t get a firm enough touch to complete the save, and the ball bounced past him into the net.

And a few minutes injury time remained, but the home fans knew they wouldn’t come back from that, and the sparsely populated home seats had emptied out even further by the time Anthony Taylor had brought the game to an end. While this was never a totally convincing performance, we have at least avoided the embarrassment suffered by a couple of other Premier League clubs and kept our cup hopes alive.

The draw for the fourth round is tomorrow evening on TNT Sports before the Liverpool v Barnsley game, and I for one will be looking forward to that with the very batest of bated breath.

Reuters