Norwich City exposed Derby County, Paul Warne weakness and others may follow blueprint: View | OneFootball

Craig Forsyth returned to the starting XI against the Canaries for the first time since March, but struggled at points.

Derby County suffered their first home defeat of the season on Saturday, as they were beaten 3-2 by Norwich City in extremely controversial circumstances.

The Rams twice fell victim to unfortunate calls from assistant referee, Mark Stevens, who appeared to miss the ball leaving the pitch for both the Canaries' first and third goals, before Corey Blackett-Taylor gave the home side hope of a late comeback.

Derby's second strike also should not have counted, with James Collins standing in front of Angus Gunn as Blackett-Taylor's curling effort hit the back of the net, but it proved to be too little too late.

It was obvious, at times, that the Rams were missing Callum Elder, who has surprised many with his excellent performances at left-back, and his constant energy on that side of the pitch has been a crucial part of the team's early season form at Pride Park.

But, with the Australian injured, 35-year-old Craig Forsyth has had to step up to the plate, and there is one glaring issue that can be exposed.

Forsyth seems to have lost a lot of pace

Entering his 12th full season at Derby, it was fairly obvious that the veteran defender was going to be a bit-part player, but with Elder out for the next few weeks with a groin issue, he will be relied upon.

Rams fans have always valued Forsyth, and his importance over the course of the last decade goes without saying, but Saturday's defeat has shown why his game-time has been limited so far in 2024/25.

The once marauding full-back had to manage his positioning a lot more than he has had to in the past, and at points, left Nathaniel Mendez-Laing without an option, as he could not afford to overlap the 32-year-old winger and get caught out defensively on the break.

Instead, the Scot often found himself level with Curtis Nelson and Eiran Cashin, with Derby's back four sat in a more traditional defensive setup.

It meant that the team were not able to press as high as they might have wanted, with it taking the Pride Park faithful's shouts to get the Rams pushing up on a clumsy Norwich defence.

It eventually paid off, with Forsyth scoring from a corner that came from a situation where Warne's side pressurised their opponents into letting the ball go out of play, but it perhaps should have happened earlier.

Forsyth must prove that he still has the ability to compete in the Championship vs Sunderland

Saturday's defeat was the first time that Forsyth has started a league game since March, and it was clear that he was lacking match sharpness.

The games are coming thick and fast in the Championship, and the 35-year-old will quickly have to get up to speed if Derby are to pick up their away form, with the Rams making the long trip up to Sunderland on Tuesday evening.

It has been nearly 34 years since the Rams last tasted victory away to the Black Cats, failing to win in any of their last 14 trips to the Stadium of Light and Roker Park.

This season, the conquest will be even more difficult following Sunderland's excellent start to the campaign, and the quality that they possess.

Patrick Roberts is a player that Derby fans are extremely familiar with, having spent the latter half of the 2020/21 season at Pride Park, and he will be a tough opponent for Forsyth on the left-hand side due to the ability that he has.

Roberts can switch the ball from side to side, entangling defenders before easing the ball past them and breaking away. This is something that the 35-year-old will have to be mindful of, and will likely have to step off him to avoid being beaten in a foot race.

If Forsyth can keep his winger quiet, then it offers the Rams something to build from, but it could be a very difficult night for Warne's team.