Derby County 1-3 Crewe Alexandra: Aaron Rowe double bundles Rams out of FA Cup

Aaron Rowe scored twice as League Two side Crewe Alexandra bundled Derby County out of the FA Cup with a first-round replay win at Pride Park.

Crewe goalkeeper Harvey Davies crucially tipped a Max Bird shot onto the crossbar as the Rams searched for an equaliser before the break.

Mickey Demetriou went on to add a third goal for Crewe with a second-half header to set up a second-round home tie against League One side Bristol Rovers.

Rams boss Paul Warne made two changes from the side that beat Barnsley 3-0 three days earlier in League One, while there were three changes for Crewe after they snatched a late win against fellow League Two high-flyers Notts County on Saturday.

And while it was the final moments of that league game that produced drama and controversy, this match got off to an exhilarating start with both sides scoring inside the first seven minutes.

Louie Sibley snatched possession from Crewe as they attempted to play out from the back, and set Barkhuizen up for an early opener for a Derby side that needed two late goals in the initial tie to force the replay.

But Derby’s joy was short lived, with Rowe finding the bottom corner for the equaliser before Joe White demanded a fine save of Joe Wildsmith with a deflected free-kick.

Wildsmith could do nothing when a shot from Rowe took a heavy deflection off Eiran Cashin for his and Crewe’s deserved second goal in the first half.

It took another excellent save from Wildsmith to keep Courtney Baker-Richardson from adding a third, while Crewe keeper Davies foiled James Collins and helped a Bird effort onto the bar at the other end just before the half-time.

Second-half chances were limited, but Demetriou managed to put the tie out of Derby’s reach with a near-post header from a White corner with 25 minutes remaining.

Baker-Richardson and Shilow Tracey went in search of a fourth, but Wildsmith limited the damage on a miserable night for the Rams as they were knocked out in the first round of the FA Cup for the first time since the 1984-85 season.