Much of the pre-match talk centred on two stories. First, the reunion between Mourinho and Derby boss Frank Lampard, who won this competition together twice at Chelsea. However, their history was soon overshadowed by more breaking news.
Paul Pogba was conspicuous only by his absence from the Manchester United squad - after reports emerged earlier in the day that Mourinho had told him he will never captain the side again following another outburst in the media by the Frenchman.
Despite this, the early signs were that the ‘Red Devils’ could put all the off-field troubles behind them. Juan Mata gave them the lead after only three minutes, finishing off a superbly worked move after Romelu Lukaku and Jesse Lingard combined.
This was as good as it got for the home side, as Derby responded well to going a goal down and dominated possession for the remainder of the first half. They were unable to break the defence down though and it wasn’t until the hour mark that they drew level in stunning fashion.
There have been some impressive free-kicks scored at Old Trafford over the years - Cristiano Ronaldo springs to mind, but this effort from Harry Wilson is right up there. From a full thirty yards he sent a knuckling effort into the top corner, completely defeating Romero in goal with the swerve.
Romero’s night would only get worse. Eight minutes later he was sent off after handling the ball outside the area and Manchester United would have to hold out with only ten men, and with Lee Grant in goal, their third choice.
As it was, Grant soon settled after making a stunning save from a headed effort. The goalkeeper acquitted himself well and there was little he could do when Derby took the lead with five minutes to spare.
Mason Mount hit an effort from the edge of the box that Grant got down to save. Unfortunately for him, he parried it straight into the path of Jack Marriott, who headed home and the celebrations in the away end were jubilant.
Enter Marouane Fellaini. The Belgian midfielder has become Manchester United’s go to man when they are in search of a goal and he delivered the goods again here. With four minutes gone of six added on, he spared the blushes of Mourinho and Ed Woodward in the stands (temporarily), heading home from Dalot’s cross.
Penalties loomed and the shootout seemed as if it would never end. The first 15 penalties were scored, before Phil Jones had the misfortune to miss in sudden death. Pogba had been spotted leaving the stadium before full-time, and maybe it was for the best. Those who stayed saw the culmination of another sub-par performance from Manchester United.
25 September 2018