Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl must have missed Marcelo Bielsa’s remarkable hour-long lecture in how to defeat Frank Lampard’s Derby before kick-off.
The Leeds United head coach revealed all there is to know about Lampard’s tactics, but Hasenhuttl’s players failed to follow the blueprint outlined in Bielsa’s PowerPoint presentation.
Just like in the reverse fixture of this FA Cup third-round replay, Southampton threw away a 2-0 lead as Championship Derby clawed it back to 2-2. ‘It’s happened again,’ their supporters sang.
Indeed it had, and then it got worse for Hasenhuttl. Lampard’s Derby took their Premier League opponents to penalties and won, with Nathan Redmond the culprit missing his penalty.
After securing their victory and spot in the fourth round, the visitors chanted ‘VAR, VAR, VAR’ over and over. The system became a big talking point of this tie.
Derby thought they had taken a first-half lead through Craig Bryson and celebrated for more than two minutes before video technology decided the goal was offside.
Replays suggested Martyn Waghorn was off by a fraction, though this is what football purists are afraid of – that buzz of scoring a goal could be replaced by a fear of VAR ruling it out.
A trip to League One Accrington Stanley in the fourth round awaited the winner, though an FA Cup run is neither Hasenhuttl nor Lampard’s top priority.
One entire side of St Mary’s Stadium was empty, suggesting the magic of the FA Cup had not captured the locals’ imagination on this chilly Wednesday evening either.
Derby fans poked fun at the vacant seats, singing: ‘Football in a library.’
Southampton enjoyed the best chance of the opening half hour when a wicked cross from 20-year-old Tyreke Johnson found Shane Long. Six yards out and with the goal gaping, the striker aimed his shot directly at goalkeeper Kelle Roos.
Armstrong went for the rebound but got his feet in a mess, and it looked like Derby had made Southampton rue that missed opportunity in the 39th minute.
Lampard’s side thought they had taken the lead when Mason Mount sent the ball towards Bryson, who dummied it and let it run to Martyn Waghorn.
Waghorn fed Bryson in return and he slotted the ball beyond Angus Gunn. Derby celebrated, as did their fans, and referee Anthony Taylor asked VAR to check it was legitimate.
Video assistant David Coote took his time – two minutes and two seconds to be exact – and all 22 players were back in their positions, waiting to kick off.
Then, Taylor ruled out the goal with replays showing Waghorn offside by inches. ‘F*** VAR,’ sang the travelling supporters, furious that it was still 0-0.
BBC pundit Alan Shearer reckoned the goal should have stood. ‘We’re talking about millimetres,’ he said at half time. ‘VAR wasn’t brought in for this reason to say someone’s a millimetre offside.’
Southampton stole the lead in the 68th minute when Mohamed Elyounoussi crossed for Long, whose header was cleared off the line by Scott Malone. Stuart Armstrong nodded in the rebound.
Redmond then made it 2-0 from a one-on-one as Derby’s defence was split open.
The visitors got their first goal back in the 76th minute through Harry Wilson, whose cross went straight in, before Waghorn’s free header in the 82nd made it 2-2.
After their victory via penalties, Lampard turned into a conductor as he led the visiting supporters in their chants. So the Saints left as losers, and the Rams go marching on.