A last-gasp Nathan Ellington penalty saw Derby go through to the semi-finals at the expense of Stoke.
Rams hit woodwork twice before late penalty
A last-gasp Nathan Ellington penalty saw Derby go through to the semi-finals of the Carling Cup at the expense of Stoke.
Richard Cresswell had the ball in the net in the first period but referee Rob Styles disallowed his effort for handball.
After the restart, Kris Commons headed off the bar from an Ellington cross with the rebound put wide of Stoke's left post by Rob Hulse.
Then on 76 minutes the Rams again hit Stoke's woodwork when a close-range effort from Miles Addison hit the left post.
Glenn Whelan forced Roy Carroll into two top-class saves at the other end before Andy Griffin handballed in the Potters' penalty area and Ellington stepped up to send the Championship side through in injury-time.
The Potters made five changes from the side which drew with Hull City in the Premier League on Saturday.
In came Steve Simonsen, Ibrahima Sonko, Seyi Olofinjana, Glenn Whelan and Cresswell. Thomas Sorensen, Amdy Faye, Abdoulaye Faye, Salif Diao and Tom Soares were rested as Stoke aimed to reach a major cup semi-final for the first time since 1972.
Derby, relegated in shame from the Premier League last season, made just one change from the side which lost at Burnley at the weekend, Ellington replacing the cup-tied Luke Varney.
Stoke almost got off to a flying start in the second minute when Mamady Sidibe surged from halfway, but when his ball into the box arrived at the far post, the unmarked Rory Delap was unable to bring it under control, and the opportunity was lost.
Neither side was slow in getting the ball forward quickly, largely bypassing midfield and the game swung wildly from box to box.
Premium
Chances were at a premium. Derby full-back Paul Connolly got down the right, saw a cross cleared back to him, and then fired in a low, near-post shot that Simonsen spilled before claiming.
Connolly had another long-range effort that sailed over, while at the other end Derby dealt comfortably with Delap's throws.
The longer the game went on, however, the more it became a succession of long balls, set-plays and Delap's throws.
Whelan saw two efforts sail wide, while Derby midfielder Addison had a shot from the edge of the box that Simonsen held comfortably.
Stoke then had an effort ruled out after 36 minutes when Cresswell forced his way clear to drill a low shot past Rams goalkeeper Carroll, only to find that he had been penalised for handball.
Derby produced a long throw of their own after 41 minutes, Connolly's effort being headed out for Przemyslaw Kazmierczak to drive just over the crossbar from 20 yards.
Swirling snow accompanied the start of the second period, and Commons tested Simonsen within minutes.
Stoke should have been in the lead after 54 minutes when Ricardo Fuller broke clear of the offside trap, but as he advanced into the area a remarkable saving tackle from Jordan Stewart stopped the striker in the act of shooting.
A minute later Addison was booked after a succession of fouls and Stoke now cranked up the pressure.
Hulse headed wide from a Connolly cross, but Derby were increasingly having to defend in depth.
Delap's long cross was then headed back into the danger area by Sidibe, but an unmarked Fuller got his header horribly wrong from just eight yards, the ball bouncing yards wide.
Fought back
However, Derby fought back and two fine tackles from on-loan West Ham defender James Tomkins ended with Ellington setting up Commons for a shot that was deflected just over.
Sidibe then managed to mis-hit wide when Fuller's cross fizzed into the six-yard box. Derby responded when Addison hooked against the foot of a post from a 76th-minute corner.
At the other end Carroll made a great point-blank save from Whelan to keep a header out before Fuller's close-range shot was deflected over for a corner.
Stoke sent on Danny Pugh for Olofinjana with 10 minutes left before Darren Powell was booked for a foul on Fuller, and from the free-kick Whelan curled in a fine effort that Carroll superbly tipped over.
With five minutes left, Derby replaced Hulse with Emanuel Villa, and with his first touch he blasted wide from 18 yards.
Extra-time loomed but in injury-time, Griffin was judged to have handled a cross from Kazmierczak, and referee Rob Styles awarded a spot-kick that Ellington rolled in right in front of the massed Derby ranks.
Ten seconds later, the game was over and the Derby fans who suffered through an embarrassing top-flight campaign last term at last had something to celebrate.
| Stoke City |
Team Statistics |
Derby County |
| 0 |
Goals |
1 |
| 0 |
1st Half Goals |
0 |
| 2 |
Shots on Target |
2 |
| 11 |
Shots off Target |
8 |
| 1 |
Blocked Shots |
1 |
| 13 |
Corners |
6 |
| 5 |
Fouls |
11 |
| 6 |
Offsides |
2 |
| 0 |
Yellow Cards |
2 |
| 0 |
Red Cards |
0 |
| 54.1 |
Possession |
45.9 |
|
