West Bromwich Albion 1-2 Derby County

Tom Ince scored a superb free-kick as Championship side Derby came from a goal down to knock Premier League West Brom out of the FA Cup.

Albion went ahead 10 minutes before half-time when Matt Phillips curled a shot past goalkeeper Scott Carson.

But the visitors equalised after the break as Darren Bent found the top corner from 25 yards.

Ince then bent a free-kick between Boaz Myhill and his near post to delight the 5,300 travelling fans.

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Lows and highs for Carson

Derby goalkeeper Scott Carson - pictured with Steve McClaren - played for West Brom between 2008 and 2011

Derby goalkeeper Carson's career has been packed with ups and downs, as his manager Steve McClaren knows only too well.

McClaren's last match in charge of England saw Carson let in a soft shot from Niko Kranjcar in what turned out to be a costly Euro 2008 qualifying defeat by Croatia almost a decade ago.

He produced both the best and worst of his game as he faced one of his former clubs at The Hawthorns.

A casual pass out in the opening moments gifted a chance to Salomon Rondon, whose shot beat the keeper - only for a superb Richard Keogh clearance to prevent a goal.

Carson, though, more than redeemed himself with an outstanding save in the closing moments, tipping over Rondon's header from substitute Nacer Chadli's cross to preserve Derby's advantage.

Phillips shines, but Albion lack urgency

Matt Phillips' fine curling shot gave West Brom a half-time advantage

West Brom goalscorer Phillips, an inconsistent performer for much of his career, has started to realise his potential this season, thanks to the cajoling of head coach Tony Pulis.

Phillips was seen as an underwhelming signing by many Albion fans when he arrived from QPR for £5.5m in July, but Pulis has worked hard to build the player's confidence.

The result has been a rich run of recent form that has lifted West Brom into the Premier League's top eight. Against Derby, he pounced on an error by Keogh to run at the visitors' defence and bend in a classy goal. The winger has now played a part in 12 goals in his past 11 matches - scoring five and assisting seven.

However, Albion's tendency to let opponents have more of the ball was costly as Derby were allowed to work their way back into the game.

Had James Morrison not fired over a great chance to score from 12 yards, moments after Phillips' opener, the Championship side might have been sunk. As it was, McClaren's team were always likely to get the opportunities to get back into the game - and so it proved.

Stat of the day

Darren Bent has scored in nine of his past 10 FA Cup games, including each of his four for Derby County.

'The keeper knew straight away it was in'

Derby match-winner Tom Ince, speaking to BBC Radio Derby: "It's about time I got one in. I practise free-kicks a lot in training, and it's nice to do it on a match day.

"The free-kick was in an awkward position where I couldn't really put it into the box for a cross. The goalkeeper had three in the wall, and he left a lot of space to his left, so I thought that if I was able to get it up and over the wall and on target, then I'd give myself a chance. As soon as it went over the wall, the keeper didn't move - and I think he knew straight away that was in.

"It was a fantastic performance all round. It's always a big test when you come to a Premier League side, especially when you're away from home - but I thought we played ever so well."

West Brom manager Tony Pulis, speaking to BBC WM: "I'm really proud of the players. They've worked so hard. We battered them. We needed a break and we didn't get a break.

"The two goals they scored are disappointing from our point of view. We should have dealt with the first one - we stepped away from their player.

"With the second one, we'll have to talk about the wall. I've been in to see Jon [Moss, the referee], and he's marked out 13 paces for that free-kick. With others in the game, he's marked out 10 paces. Those are the breaks you need to get through in cup football."