Clough faces his former club Nottingham Forest on Friday

Derby County boss Nigel Clough says he will take positives from the League Cup defeat against Manchester United.

The Rams were 1-0 up after the semi-final first leg at Pride Park but fell 3-0 behind at Old Trafford and eventually lost 4-3 on aggregate.

"The lads are disappointed we're out but buoyed by the second-half performance and we're encouraged by it," Clough told BBC Radio Derby.

"I'm delighted we got a couple of goals in front of our supporters."

Clough added: "Even in the first half, we were quite encouraged by some of our play and it was a big improvement on Saturday.

"I can sense a little bit of togetherness and determination building in the dressing room which is what we're going to need in the next three months."

Kris Commons had given the Rams a 1-0 lead in their home leg on 7 January.

But goals from Nani, John O'Shea and Carlos Tevez put United in command and they held on despite a determined second-half Rams revival.

Derby face arch rivals Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup fourth round on Friday.

E-mail this to a friend

Printable version