Derby County’s heartbreaking defeat to Luton Town on Friday evening has left manager Paul Warne reeling. The Rams had looked set to claim their second away win of the season, only to concede two goals in the dying minutes and succumb to a 2-1 loss.
Despite a lackluster first half, Derby came out strong in the second, with Kayden Jackson’s header from a Kane Wilson cross giving them a well-deserved lead. However, Luton’s late surge, which included the introduction of attacking reinforcements, eventually paid off as Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu’s deflected volley and Carlton Morris’s 92nd-minute winner turned the game on its head.
Warne was visibly disappointed in his post-match interview, but he couldn’t help but express his pride in his team’s performance. “I’m obviously pretty raw, and I congratulate Rob and his team. That was the pain of football management, but weirdly, I was really proud of the performance against a really good team,” he said.
Warne acknowledged that the defeat was a tough pill to swallow, particularly given the manner in which it occurred. “In the end, we lose the game through randomness. They brought on some big names up front. The game just turned into a school match in the last five minutes, and unfortunately, what could go wrong did go wrong,” he lamented.
The Derby boss also highlighted the need for his team to be more clinical in front of goal, particularly in games where they take the lead. “Three points might have flattered us, I don’t know. A point didn’t. It stings a lot. But it’s Christmas. We’ll get the lads in about 10 hours, tell a few jokes, and we’ll just go again. That’s what football is. We can’t cry about it. We’ll see what we can learn,” he said.
Derby’s inability to kill off games has been a recurring theme this season, with the team having now lost 13 points from winning positions. Warne will be keen to address this issue, particularly with tough fixtures against West Bromwich Albion and Leeds United on the horizon. Despite the setbacks, Warne remains optimistic, pointing to the improvements his team has made in recent weeks. However, he knows that his team must start putting their opponents to the sword more often and finishing games with greater control.