Racial abuse
Brentford dedicated Saturday’s fixture to the work of Kick It Out, but the event was marred by the alleged actions of a Bees fan.
Duane Holmes reported to police that he had been racially abused in the dugout after being substituted in the 74th minute, and Brentford have since issued a club statement confirming a season ticket holder was arrested.
Lampard said: “I didn’t see it, so I have to be careful with the detail that I say. But Duane Holmes was abused at close quarters by the side of the dugout when Brentford scored their third goal.
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“And I suppose I shouldn’t go further than that at this point until I know more. But obviously Duane is upset with the situation.”
The Rams’ boss also confirmed Brentford’s staff apologised for the incident after the game.
A frantic first half-hour
The opening 10 minutes of the game were fairly docile with neither side really working an opportunity of note, but the next 20 minutes summed up Brentford’s problems against the Championship’s top teams.
After Tom Lawrence squared up to Ezri Konsa, prompting a number of Brentford players to run to their team-mate’s defence, the match started to resemble one of the manic affairs Brentford fans have become used to at Griffin Park this season.
Derby came out of the blocks with all cylinders firing after the incident with Martyn Waghorn managing two efforts at goal within moments of each other.
As has so often been the case this term, the pressure told on the Brentford defence and they were unable to ride out the sticky period as Harry Wilson netted a fizzing strike in the 13th minute.
From there, the game transformed into a breathless end-to-end battle. Brentford enjoyed the majority of possession and troubled the Derby defence in the final third but struggled to cope with the pace and aggression at which the Rams attacked when they won the ball back.
Thomas Frank’s side have proven time and again they can match the scoring power of the big clubs in the division, but they have rarely managed to control games and shut top-quality opposition out.
Busy officials
With Derby deep in a scrap for the top six and Brentford’s squad still clinging to hopes of the play-offs, the match took an unsavoury turn after Lawrence’s early outburst.
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Referee John Brooks booked eight players in total as a number of clattering tackles went in, and it seemed a melee broke out almost every five minutes.
Bradley Johnson made possibly the most ill-timed challenge of the game when he – in Frank’s words – “went absolutely through” Kamohelo Mokotjo.
The South African midfielder was forced off at half-time after complaining of feeling dizzy following the challenge, and it remains to be seen if he will be available for Wednesday night’s clash with Ipswich.
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Penalty claims
Both managers believed their teams should have been awarded a spot-kick. Derby’s claim came in the 49th minute when Ashley Cole went over under Neal Maupay’s outstretched leg, and seven County players rushed straight to the referee to protest when he booked the veteran left-back for simulation.
Frank Lampard said of the incident: “To book him is to rub salt in the wounds. There’s no need to book him if you think it’s not a penalty. I think he was the only man in the vicinity who thought it wasn’t, but unfortunately he’s the important one.”
And Brentford were convinced they were victim to a foul in the box when Ollie Watkins went to ground after Kelle Roos had scrambled to regain possession after dropping the ball, but the referee waved play on. Replays suggest there was minimal contact though.
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Rico Henry’s return
The left-back was making his first appearance since the 5-2 win against Blackburn on Febuary 2 having managed 60 minutes for the B Team last Tuesday after recovering from a foot injury.
He looked slightly rusty on the ball in the early stages, making a few sloppy passes, and should have done better to defend Jayden Bogle’s goal when the right-back skipped past him.
But Henry grew into the game and registered an excellent assist when his low cross was converted by Maupay to round off a strong counter-attack.
Thomas Frank will be hoping the 21-year-old can manage a full season without any injury concerns next term, and perhaps he can build some momentum in the last six games of the current campaign.
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