Match Report | Derby 1 Crewe 3
- Railwaymen dump Rams out of cup
- Rowe (2) opens his Alex account
- Demetriou on target in stunning win
Crewe Alexandra produced a magnificent performance to knock Derby County out of the FA Cup at Pride Park.
After falling behind to Tom Barkhuizen’s third-minute opener The Railwaymen showed superb grit and determination to bounce back.
Aaron Rowe scored a superb brace in the first half as he became Crewe’s 14th different scorer of the season.
And Mickey Demetriou headed his sixth of the campaign after the restart to give his side a cushion in the replay.
Lee Bell’s men executed the gameplan to perfection; defending stoutly and putting bodies on the line before hitting hard on the counter.
Roared on by around 800 travelling supporters they thoroughly deserved the victory which has earned a home tie against Bristol Rovers in round two.
Bell made three changes to the side that beat Notts County at the weekend. Connor O’Riordan was unavailable due to international commitments, while Conor Thomas and Shilow Tracey dropped to the bench.
Lewis Billington was recalled to defence; midfielder Charlie Colkett started for the first time this season, and wing-back Charlie Finney made his second start of the campaign.
Derby, who were also without a number of players including Nathaniel Mendez-Laing, hit the front on three minutes when Louie Sibley won the ball high up the pitch and teed up Barkhuizen for a simple finish.
But the response was emphatic. Rowe picked the ball up on the right and drifted inside before letting fly with a powerful left-footer that fizzed into the bottom corner.
Joe White’s direct free-kick brought a superb flying save from keeper Joe Wildsmith shortly afterwards, as The Railwaymen kept asking questions.
And on 21 minutes the visitors were ahead when Rowe again tried his luck from outside the area and a big deflection took the ball over Wildsmith and into the net.
A brilliant Crewe move, instigated by White, created space on the left for Finney and when Courtney Baker-Richardson met the cross with his head, Wildsmith made another superb save.
Keeper Harvey Davies made a smart reflex save to claw away a James Collins header as the Rams looked to hit back on 32 minutes.
Davies tipped a Max Bird strike onto the bar and held a Barkhuizen volley, and a big block from skipper Luke Offord helped keep the slender lead intact to the whistle.
Crewe managed the first 20 minutes of the second half expertly, with chances few and far between at either end.
And on 65 minutes it was 3-1. A flowing break down the right earned a corner and when White curled it in Demetriou met it with a crashing header which could not be stopped.
Baker-Richardson’s drive was saved by Wildsmith and Rowe blasted a free-kick into the wall as Crewe continued to look dangerous on the counter.
Sub Tracey had a great chance to seal it in the closing minutes but his low strike was repelled by the legs of the County keeper.
But it didn’t matter. Bell’s men had worn down the hosts, who had completely run out of ideas and belief.
And the scenes of celebration with the travelling supporters after the final whistle will live long in the memory.
Derby (4-1-4-1): Wildsmith; Wilson, Forsyth (Bradley, 84), Nelson, Cashin; Hourihane (Cox, 84); Barkhuizen, Smith (Waghorm, 66), Bird, Sibley (Ward, 59); Collins.
Subs not used: Vickers, Robinson, Brown, Fapetu, Weston.
Booked: Sibley
Crewe (3-4-3): Davies; Offord, Demetriou, Billington; Finney (Thomas, 52), White, Colkett (Tracey, 53), Cooney; Adebisi, Baker-Richardson, Rowe.
Subs not used: Booth, Agius, Nolan, Robinson.
Booked: Tracey, Baker-Richardson
Referee: Christopher Pollard.
Attendance: