Two goals in extra time saw Derby County eventually bow out of the Emirates FA Cup after taking the reigning Premier League champions Leicester City right down to the wire once more.

Abdoul Camara’s first goal for the club on the hour mark cancelled out Andy King’s opener and just like the first meeting between the two sides, nothing separated them.

Into extra time, however, Steve McClaren’s were delivered an early blow as Wilfred Ndidi smashed the Foxes in front, before the outstanding Demarai Gray put the seal of approval on the result to send Claudio Ranieri’s men into the Fifth Round, where they will face Millwall.

The eventual scoreline aside, very little separated two much changed teams over the course of the evening at the King Power Stadium.

As cagey as the contest began, the buoyant travelling Derby fans brought with them a sense of optimism, and they cheered on their battling side, giving the likes of Ikechi Anya the confidence to try and create something from scratch down his left side.

He and Camara started brightly on the flanks and looked the visitors’ biggest threat early doors. On 15 minutes Anya delivered a cross from the left that was almost capitalised on by an eagerly waiting Nick Blackman – making his first appearance since the beginning of October.

With every phase of attacking play that Steve McClaren’s men produced, the closer the home crowd got to the edge of their seat with a sense of nervousness around the King Power Stadium apparent.

Showing plenty of spirit and desire, Derby were seeing plenty of the ball by the half hour mark, looking each time they progressed forward, but they lacked a killer touch that would open the Foxes up.

Jacob Butterfield saw an shot swerving away from goal tipped behind for a corner, whilst Cyrus Christie blazed the resulting set piece over as the Foxes finished the first 45 minutes on top.

Then came the sucker punch. Almost straight from the kick-off, Leicester were ahead as Marc Albrighton cushioned a header into the path of King to simply head into the back of the net.

That marked the start of a period of dominance for the Foxes. A period that could have seen Derby undeservedly punished after the hosts bombardment allowed Gray to almost capitalise on another crucial cross from close range.

It was a second that could have knocked the stuffing out of Derby, but it was never going to be as simple as that for Ranieri’s side as the Rams got themselves back in the contest.

After riding out the vicious storm, perpetrated by last year’s English champions, it was now time for McClaren’s men to attack once more.

Such tight encounters are always defined by key moments or a slice of luck and it wasn’t long before the visitors were presented a big one.

On 60 minutes, Derby were awarded a free-kick and Abdoul Camara stepped up, confidently, and, thanks to Ben Chillwell’s delfection, the ball was sent into the back of the net for the Guinea wideman’s first goal for the club. Game on.

As time in the encounter grew shorter, frustration amongst the home crowd began to swell. Derby looked to make the most of the situation and experienced large spells of attacking play with the ball.

Nervousness amongst the home side was clear and the sense of desperation saw the hosts create unsuccessful chances through Gray and Musa. Derby’s resilience across the pitch was for all to see.

With all very much still play for, a chance to settle the tie fell the way of Musa late on and Jonathan Mitchell was subject to a one-on-one situation.

The fate of the contest lied on the shoulders of the 22-year-old ‘keeper, making only his second start of the season, and he did manage to keep the ball out of his net as the ball cannoned off his arm outside the area, but Michael Jones, the referee, waved the handball claims.

This was a tie, however, that was unable to be split by the regulatory 90 minutes and the game was subsequently sent to extra time.

A little less than five minutes into the first period of extra time, though, and a moment of brilliance put Leicester ahead once more.

One of last year’s standout performers, Riyad Mahrez, played a ball down the middle for Ndidi, on as a substitute, who let loose a fierce drive from outside the box and it hit the inside of the post and nestled in the side netting. A world class goal.

Leicester were beginning to tip the match in their favour as the game progressed on, but with 101 minutes on the clock the Rams were given a lifeline after Islam Slimani missed a tap-in from close range.

Ultimately, though, it was the hosts that finished this FA Cup tie strongest as the contest’s standout performer, Gray, that deservedly made it onto the scoresheet after he burst into the box to blast the ball in the top corner to seal Leicester’s place in the next round.

Leicester City: Zieler, Chilwell, Musa (Slimani, 91), King (C), Albrighton, Amartey, Kapustka (Mahrez, 80), Gray, Mendy (Ndidi, 91), Wasilewski, Benalouane

Substitutes not used: Drinkwater, Hamer, Okazaki, Fuchs

Derby County: Mitchell, Christie, Shackell, Keogh (C), Anya, Johnson (Vydra, 52), De Sart, Butterfield, Camara (Russell, 73), Blackman (Nugent, 82), Lowe

Substitutes not used: Carson, Ince, Baird, Pearce