WIGAN Athletic's improvement under Uwe Rosler, the man who replaced Owen Coyle, was evident when they visited the iPro Stadium on New Year's Day.Derby County expected a tougher examination from Wigan than they had faced a month earlier and the Latics chiselled out a 1-0 win.
Jean Beausejour's stunning strike in the second half settled matters and it was only the second defeat in Steve McClaren's reign as head coach.
McClaren had no complaints after the game. He admitted his team had been below par in a scrappy match but they still had chances late on to salvage a point they would have deserved.
An FA Cup third-round tie against Chelsea provided something of a free-hit, a game in which Derby had nothing to lose.
Chelsea had been expected to progress, which they did with a relatively comfortable 2-0 win, but Derby's spirited display saw them emerge in credit.
They competed and had their moments, they gave it their all against a club third in the Premier League and with a history of success in the competition. Chelsea have won it seven times since 1970 and have not lost a third-round tie in 16 years.
Two goals in a five-minute spell in the second-half from John Obi Mikel and the excellent Oscar saw Chelsea home in front of a full house at the iPro.
The effort exerted against Chelsea and the emotion of the occasion caught up with Derby when they tackled Leicester City at the King Power Stadium.
The difference between the teams in the two previous meetings had been wafer thin.
Not this time.
Leicester powered their way to a 4-1 victory. They outplayed Derby in all departments
McClaren called for a response and the players answered the call to beat Brighton & Hove Albion 1-0 in a tightly-fought contest.
New loan signing from Chelsea, Patrick Bamford, came off the bench to hit an excellent winner.
Bamford scored again in a 1-1 draw against Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park and took his tally to three in as many games when he sparked a comeback against Yeovil Town.
The Championship strugglers built a 2-0 lead and Derby had to dig deep in the second half. Bamford's diving header reduced the deficit and Craig Bryson levelled late on.
A point against plucky Yeovil had been salvaged, it appeared, but Derby had not finished and Bryson's free kick picked out Chris Martin, whose header flashed into the net to spark wild celebrations.
