Fulham show Todd the size of Derby task

Fulham 5 Derby County

Jim Smith, like Leicester's Peter Taylor, got out at just the right time. Colin Todd's first game since being promoted to succeed him as manager of Derby County brought an unexpected flurry of goals, too many of which went against his defensively ragged team.

They led twice, before being outgunned in the second half as Fulham, who had struggled past Rochdale on penalties in the previous round of the Worthington Cup, scored four times in 25 minutes.

On the face of it, the scoreline was an unlikely one from two sides who have found putting the ball between the white posts so difficult in the Premiership ­ which may explain why only 9,217 people bothered to turn up. In their previous five League games the teams had managed three and two goals respectively, a dispiriting tally that included the goalless draw between them at Craven Cottage in August.

Apart from not scoring regularly enough, however, last season's First Division champions have not been doing much wrong, and the feeling was that some day soon the quality of their passing and movement would be reflected in a landslide. It was Derby's ­ and Todd's ­ misfortune to be on the end of it, and go out of the competition at Craven Cottage for the second successive season.

"We have a lack of mental toughness," the new man said. "We got our noses in front, then conceded a bad goal. We have the ability in the side but we are punishing ourselves. We just have to work to make sure we get that mental toughness."

Maik Taylor, a favourite with the Fulham crowd, was given a rare start in goal, only to find himself picking the ball out of the net in the 19th minute, before he had had a save to make.

Nothing of note had happened at either end, in fact, until Deon Burton and Fabrizio Ravanelli, preferred in Todd's first selection to last season's leading scorer Malcolm Christie, set up the visitors' first constructive move of the evening. Seth Johnson, the left wing-back, carried it on with a deep cross that found Craig Burley unmarked 10 yards out to volley in with the side of his foot.

Only then did Fulham awake, forging a cluster of chances and an equaliser just after the half-hour. Andy Oakes saved well from Sylvain Legwinski, Steve Marlet hit a post, Andy Melville's header was blocked on the line and finally Barry Hayles turned well onto Legwinski's cross before scoring just inside a post.

They went behind again in the 55th minute, before equalising within 60 seconds. The defensive marking was poor once more as Burton crossed from the right for Ravanelli to jab in his fourth goal of the season. Derby failed to concentrate long enough to prevent Legwinski stealing in immediately to head in a deep diagonal ball from Rufus Brevett.

Only six minutes later John Collins' free-kick took a big deflection off Hayles and Chris Riggott to swerve past a despairing Oakes. Tigana, positive as ever, sent on Louis Saha and Luis Boa Morte, and was rewarded with a goal by Saha to seal the tie. Steed Malbranque, also on as a substitute, added a fifth from the penalty spot after a silly trip by Johnson on Boa Morte.

Fulham (4-4-2): Taylor; Finnan, Melville, Knight, Brevett; Legwinski (Boa Morte, 70), Davis, Clark (Malbranque, 65), Collins; Marlet (Saha, 65), Hayles. Substitutes not used: Van der Sar (gk), Goldbaek.

Derby County (3-5-2): Oakes; Mawené, Riggott, Higginbotham; Daino, Burley, Powell, Murray (Christie, 73), Johnson; Burton, Ravanelli. Substitutes not used: Elliott, Boertien, Valakari, Grant.

Referee: G Barber (Tring).