Derby County boss Paul Warne cut a deflated figure in his post-match media engagement after Sheffield Wednesday snatched a late win at Pride Park on Sunday.
Derby County lost their second home game in a row despite enjoying decent portions of the game, this time to a gritty Sheffield Wednesday team who came from behind to extend their impressive away record to four wins in five.
A Barry Bannan wonder strike appeared to flip the game in Wednesday’s favor on 64 minutes, but Jamal Lowe’s late winner sealed the points for the visiting Owls. Speaking to the media after the game, Rams coach Paul Warne conveyed a picture of mixed emotions: satisfaction in his players’ performance combined with intense frustration at the outcome.
“I am sore,” he said. “I thought we were extremely good, and the performance levels were really good. I am quite happy of everyone’s efforts, and you can picture the dressing room is lower than a snake’s belly.
“We just didn’t score the elusive second goal. If you give the opposition a chance, I believe Barry is the only player on the pitch who will score a goal like that. We only allowed two shots on goal, and I’m really disappointed for the dressing room. They did not deserve that. But we can’t keep claiming we were unfortunate.”
Derby had lost to Swansea City on Wednesday evening, while the Owls had triumphed at Hull City the day before. Warne, whose team had an xG of 1.88 compared to Wednesday’s 0.90, suggested this could have been an influence, as well as the officials’ performance on a day when the home team committed 20 fouls to Wednesday’s seven.
“We looked a little bit leggy,” he said. “We had 24 hours less rest than them, and they had a terrific win in midweek, so we attempted to get some extra legs on the pitch. Aside from having to defend a lot of free kicks, it felt like everything we did was a foul, and I didn’t think they were going to score. I hoped we’d score from a set piece or something, but it wasn’t to be.”
When it was pointed out to him that Wednesday had received some cheap fouls late in the game, Warne did not protest – but confessed he wasn’t the most objective figure in the debate.
The former Rotherham United manager stated: “That’s how it felt, but then again, I’m so biased, aren’t I?” It seemed like every time we touched them, it was a foul, and the opposite was true. But, as I mentioned, I am biased, so it is probably not a fair question to ask because I have feelings. I felt there was a foul in the build-up play, and given how the game before that was played… Look, I am biased. I’ll watch it back objectively and remove the emotion.”
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