Further fall-out emerges from controversial Derby County v Norwich City flashpoints | OneFootball

The Rams can feel hard-done by after one of the decisions from last weekend's game against City.

Paul Warne has revealed the response Derby County received from PGMOL to the controversial goals scored by Borja Sainz in the Rams' 3-2 loss to Norwich City.

Derby were on the end of some rotten luck last weekend when they hosted the Canaries. Any team in County's position - a newly promoted side who are hoping to avoid the drop this season - need all the help they can get at times to claim points against a side like Norwich who made the Championship play-offs last season.

They didn't get any of it.

City's Spanish winger Sainz opened the scoring on the stroke of half-time, and there were immediate complaints from the County players about the validity of the goal.

Marcelino Nunez played the ball through to Josh Sargent for a scoring opportunity. He tried to chip the ball over Eiran Cashin and Jacob Widell Zetterstrom, but his effort was blocked wide. Sargent then caught up with the scurrying ball to play it back into the box for Sainz, who found the back of the net from a couple yards out with a clever flicked volley.

It was a nice finish. The trouble was that the ball had gone out of play before the American forward was able to provide the assist for the goal.

County managed to get themselves back on level terms, but City ended up re-taking the lead, and then doubling their advantage, before the Rams got their consolidation goal at the end of the game.

Warne was left frustrated by the decisions of the match officials and said that complaining to them about the decisions would be pointless. Norwich manager Johannes Hoff Thorup called for the introduction of VAR in the Championship after his side benefitted from the controversy.

PGMOL's response to controversial Borja Sainz goals vs Derby

The Derby boss has revealed that PGMOL have agreed that the ball went out for Sainz's first goal. The same complaint about the first goal of the afternoon was made about Norwich's third goal (Sainz hat-trick) too, but PGMOL believe that the ball stayed in during the build up.

He also revealed that, for purposes of balance, they argued that James Collins was stood offside for Corey Blackett-Taylor's goal.

"We have heard back (from the PGMOL)," said Warne, ahead of his side's contest against Queens Park Rangers on Saturday, via Derbyshire Live.

"They agree that obviously the first goal was out of play but it's very difficult to disagree, considering there's footage everywhere. The third goal they think the ball is still in play because they have an angle that shows it is just in.

"We also queried that we thought James Collins was offside for our second goal, just to show we're balanced, if you know what I mean. But they disagree. They didn't think he was."

Missed decision in Norwich game could be so costly for Derby

The loss to City and the defeat against Sunderland in midweek left County around mid-table on nine points from eight games.

They are two points behind fellow promoted side Oxford United, while last season's League One winners Portsmouth are sat second bottom of the league having not won a game yet this season.

It could certainly be worse for Warne and his players, as is being demonstrated by Pompey, especially off the back of their 6-1 loss to Stoke City, who are on the same number of points as Derby. But nothing can be taken for granted in this league.

There's still so much football to be played and, unlike last season, the gap between the top and the bottom is much smaller. This means the battles for the top and bottom spots are going to be more tightly contested. Every point is going to make a big difference, and Derby have been hard-done out of potentially picking up at least one against the Canaries.

It's those types of glaringly poor calls that have the potential to really hurt the likes of the Rams later down the road.