Warne defends damage limitation strategy

Paul Warne has been Derby County boss since September 2022

Derby County boss Paul Warne defended his damage limitation strategy at Elland Road insisting Leeds United were a "Premier League team up against League One with sugar".

With his Rams 2-0 down at the break, Warne conceded some fans would have been wanting his side to "go for it".

He told BBC Radio Derby: "I understand why people would want you to go for it but the honest truth is that this is a very good team that made it very difficult for us when we had the ball.

"Every single one of their players was quicker than ours and apart from being tidy on the ball, I didn't see how we were going to create a chance.

"I know that sounds negative but that's the truth. We are playing a Premier League team with a League One team with a bit of sugar on top.

"The lads competed really well which I'm proud of. You just don't want to be open and that brave that you get ripped apart.

"I could have gone guns out, but if I stood here after a five or six nil defeat the damage in the dressing room could have been colossal."