Daily Echo:

Saints let a two-goal lead slip against Derby for the second time to get eliminated on penalties in their FA Cup third round replay at St Mary’s.

Just as in the first tie, Saints looked destined to make the fourth round as they went 2-0 up but once more they blew their lead.

This time it went all the way through extra time to a penalty shootout where Nathan Redmond’s miss proved decisive as Derby prevailed 5-3.

Saints had a good chance after 11 minutes as a James Ward-Prowse corner found Jack Stephens in the centre of goal eight yards out. He was under pressure but will have still been disappointed to only head over the bar.

They came even closer on 22 minutes as they were denied by an incredible save from Kelle Roos and then a horrible miss.

Johnson delivered a wonderful cross from the left that found Long on the edge of the six yard box but his sidefooted finish was straight down the middle and blocked by a great reaction save from Roos.

The rebound came to Armstrong, who had to react fast but had a virtually empty net to aim at, and he couldn’t make a proper connection to send the ball goalwards.

Derby upped the pressure on Saints and it nearly paid dividends on 38 minutes.

After a poor pass conceded possession, Derby quickly worked the ball to Craig Bryson, who slotted into the far corner.

The teams were stood with the ball on the centre spot for an age waiting for the game to restart with a VAR check on the goal.

Eventually the verdict came that Martyn Waghorn was offside by the very narrowest of margins in the build-up and the game went back for a free kick.

Saints made a change at the break. With Johnson on a yellow card and perhaps fortunate to have got away with what Debry felt was a dive before that, Saints went to a back four and threw on their ace in the shape of Nathan Redmond in an attempt to wrestle back control.

After aa flat beginning to the second period, Saints seemed to recognise the need to push harder and got their reward.

After Redmond extended Roos on 66 minutes with a superb right footed shot that needed a strong save at the near post they scored twice in as many minutes.

The first on 68 minutes started as Long laid the ball off to Moi Elyounoussi and continued his run into the area.

Elyounoussi picked out Long’s head with a lovely chipped cross. Scott Malone managed to clear off the line, but Stuart Armstrong was following up and threw himself at the ball to head into the empty net.

It was 2-0 just two minutes later as Stephens played a brilliant ball out from the back to Redmond and the attacker charged onto it and finished past the advancing Roos.

However, just as in the first tie, the two-goal cushion disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Derby halved their arrears on 76 minutes as Wilson’s inswinging left footed free kick from the right side of the area went into the far corner without a touch. Again it went to VAR but a single outstretched leg in the Saints area played on a string of Derby attackers who were trying to meet the cross.

The Rams made it 2-2 on 82 minutes.

It was Wilson who created it with a wonderfully measured left footed cross from the right that found Waghorn drifting in front of Kayne Ramsay and heading back into the opposite corner.

There were a few late half chances for both sides but the match went to extra time.

The first half passed with little incident, but Saints had a scare early in the second as Tom Lawrence headed over when he should have scored.

Redmond had a great chance of his own as Romeu committed men and then played him in but Roos spread himself to make the save while Elyounoussi’s shot with the final kick also needed stopping.

The match went to a penalty shootout and it was Derby who prevailed.

They scored all five spot kicks through Waghorn, Nugent, Mount, Lawrence and Keogh with Redmond’s miss in between successful efforts from Ward-Prowse, Vestergaard and Targett making the difference and eliminating Saints at third round stage.