Derby fans have been left incensed after Norwich’s opening goal stood despite the ball clearly going out of play.
The Canaries took the lead just before half time, but the ball had clearly gone out of play beyond the byline before Josh Sargent crossed it in for Borja Sainz to fire home.
Play somehow continued after this momentSky Sports
Sargent was able to cross it in to Sainz who fired homeSky Sports
Sargent had been charging forward with the ball, but was intercepted by Derby’s goalkeeper and Jacob Widell Zetterstrom and Eiran Cashin as he came through the box.
However, the ball bounced on with Sargent picking it back up – only it had definitely gone out of play.
The United States international still passed the ball across, with Sainz then poking home.
Derby fans behind the goal screamed for it to be disallowed, but the officials let it stand.
“The ball went almost a yard out of play ahead of Norwich’s opener against Derby,” one fan wrote on X. “EFL referees are at it again.”
Another said: “Well done @EFL officials and referees. They’ve just allowed a goal for Norwich against Derby from this pass. I mean, it’s not even close!
“That’s awful!”
Even Norwich’s official X account appeared to hint at the crazy decision.
“A lovely finish,” they wrote with an upside down smiley face emoji alongside a clip of the goal.
Meanwhile, another fan enjoying Derby being hard done by said: “Never mind Derby, it was only a little out!”
To make things worse for Derby, Sainz went on to be a hattrick heroGetty
Referee Oliver Langford was on the receiving end of furious completes from fansGetty
They also wrote: “Absolutely no idea what happened after Sarge’s first effort is saved but the ball’s in the net and we lead.”
Boos rang round Pride Park as the sides went in for half time.
Derby came out fighting in the second half, with Craig Forsyth aggrieving the home side by scoring an equaliser on the hour mark to make it 1-1.
But it wasn’t long before Norwich retook the lead, with Sainz once again popping up to rub more salt in Rams fans wounds.
And it got even worse for Derby when Sainz earned himself the match ball after firing in a third with three minutes remaining.
Substitute Corey Blackett-Taylor netted his first Rams goal in the fourth minute of added time to bring it back to 3-2, but the Canaries came away with all three points in the end.
Norwich sit seventh in the Championship at the time of writing, with Derby in 11th.
