Lampard pleased with Cole in Seagulls defeat
Derby boss Frank Lampard has backed Ashley Cole to prolong his successful association with the FA Cup after the veteran defender came off the bench to score in their defeat at Brighton.
Ex-england left-back Cole has won the competition a record seven times, four times playing alongside Lampard at Chelsea.
The 38-year-old was brought on for the second half at the Amex Stadium and set up a tense final nine minutes by heading his first goal in English football since September, 2012, in just his second Rams appearance.
Cole has a contract until the end of the season with the play-off-chasing Championship club, but Lampard sees no reason why his former team-mate cannot extend his professional career.
Asked if he can see Cole playing another FA Cup match, Lampard said: “Maybe, maybe. He’s been a machine all of his career in terms of fitness and looking after himself – if you look at him, he’s as lean as anybody.
“And as long as he has the desire, then that’s his call. I’m delighted for him because, at 38, he could comfortably kick back probably now already.
“I thought he was calm and assured on the ball, as we know, he’s obviously got all the experience of his career and then he got his goal, so really good for us and we’ll need him.
“He has a real desire and a humility and a work ethic and I think his performance was good and it will get better because of fitness.”
Derby left themselves with too much to do on the south coast after first-half goals from Anthony Knockaert and Jurgen Locadia put the hosts in control.
Cole’s close-range header made the home fans sweat but, despite four minutes of stoppage time, the Rams could not force extra-time.
Lampard admitted his team had paid for their poor performance in the opening 45 minutes, which left them with “a small mountain to climb”.
“First half we were slow, lack of urgency. To come to a Premier League team and give them time on the ball is a cardinal sin,” said Lampard. “We weren’t at the races. Whether it’s fear, whether it’s respect, it’s not enough to come here to get a result.”
Both sides would be forgiven for having one eye on other matters going into this fifth-round tie.
Brighton have been sucked into a relegation battle having not won a Premier League game since the turn of the year, while the Rams are pushing for a Championship play-off place.
Frenchman Knockaert has not started a top-flight game for two months and appeared keen to seize a rare opportunity.
He put the hosts ahead by sweeping a firsttime finish into the bottom-right corner to claim his third goal of the campaign after Yves Bissouma pulled the ball back having exchanged passes with Alireza Jahanbakhsh.
Martyn Waghorn wasted Derby’s first shot on target by scuffing straight at Seagulls goalkeeper David Button in first-half added time, before the home side doubled their advantage moments later.
Bissouma worked space on the edge of the box and, after his fine curling effort came back off the inside of the left-hand post, Locadia was alert to tap home.
Lampard had plenty to ponder at the break and responded with a double substitution, bringing on 38-year-old former team-mate Cole and Jack Marriott.
The visitors almost produced an immediate response when a powerful, goal-bound drive from Liverpool loanee Wilson was bravely blocked by the head of Shane Duffy.
After Roos produced fine stops from both Knockaert and Bernardo to keep them in the tie, Cole set up a tense final period by halving the deficit – Dan Burn’s poor clearance went straight to the ex-la Galaxy defender for him to head in his first goal in English football for more than eight years.
Derby were given four additional minutes to force extra-time but, despite sending keeper Roos up for a late set-piece, were unable to equalise.
Victory for Brighton puts them into the quarter-finals for the second successive season and provides a welcome distraction from their top-flight relegation battle.
And Brighton boss Chris Hughton was impressed by midfielder Bissouma.
“He’s a very talented young player that’s still adjusting to the game here and the competitiveness of the game here,” said Hughton. “I thought today he was very good.”
Hughton also felt his team should have enjoyed a more comfortable afternoon.
“Very nervy at the end and probably the only disappointment that I have got is I thought we made harder work of it at the end than we needed to,” he added.