Jack Marriott has scored many goals in his 24 years, but his first in a Derby County shirt will be a special one as he played his part in the “brave” and “confident” Derby County performance to defeat Manchester United at Old Trafford.
The Carabao Cup Third Round served up a thrilling evening for Derby fans as the Rams stood up to the Premier League side and were confident in their game plan to out-play them.
That confidence didn’t waver when Derby fell behind three minutes into the game after a goal by Juan Mata and only grew in the second-half as Harry Wilson rifled in a free-kick and Marriott powered home his first goal in a Rams shirt.
Marouane Fellaini levelled the score to 2-2 in the fifth minute of added on time to send the match to penalties. Frank Lampard’s side’s coolness oozed through as player after player stepped up to the spot and buried their efforts past former Rams goalkeeper Lee Grant. After eight converted Rams penalties, Phil Jones took his shot only to be denied by Scott Carson.
The forward, who was called upon to take a spot kick, hailed the way the squad tackled the game.
“The boys were brilliant from start to finish,” Marriott told RamsTV following the game.
“We played our own way, we came here and we weren’t scared to play. We played the way the gaffer has got us playing, we stuck together, and we were brave more than anything.
“I think that braveness and that confidence showed when it came to the penalties.
“That goes to show the quality and the confidence that we have in our dressing room, that no one shied away from stepping up and taking a penalty and everyone took their penalty well.”
Marriott had not long come off the bench when he saw his opportunity to grab the lead. Mason Mount forced a save from Grant with his long-range effort and Marriott was positioned perfectly to knock it in.
But as the Derby players sprinted off in celebration, the referee referred to VAR which was being used for the first time in a Derby game. But the goal stood.
“At first the ball came across and had a blocked effort,” he explained.
“I saw it coming to 'Mounty' and thought he is going to hit the target, so I will just follow it in.
“It dropped to me and I managed to find the back of the net and it all just erupted. We all went mad and we celebrated together.
“It wasn’t until afterwards that we saw the ref had his finger to his ear and I thought ‘oh no, don’t take it away from me.’ Thankfully it wasn’t taken away.”
Under the lights at Old Trafford, in the closing stages of a dominating team performance to put the side ahead and moments after coming into the game was the perfect recipe for a memorable goal. Not least the first goal for Derby County.
He hopes this is just the start.
“The gaffer said to me before I went on, ‘not a bad place to get your first goal.’
“It’s pretty special, it’s a hell of a ground. It has been a fortress for years so what a place to come and what a place to score and to win.
“That’s right up there. First goal for Derby and hopefully we can kick on now. It’s good for the dressing room, good for the spirits and now we turn our attention to Bolton at Saturday.”
