Norwich fan Paul Warne admitted he would be wasting his breath seeking an explanation from the match officials, after his Derby side conceded a controversial goal in a 3-2 Championship defeat.

Referee Oliver Langford and his assistants failed to spot Josh Sargent retrieved the ball from beyond the byline for Borja Sainz’s opener.

Jack Stacey later also appeared to have hooked a ball back into the pitch from behind the deadball line, at the start of Norwich's match-winning goal.

“On the scale of pointlessness, with 10 being high, that is a 12,” said the Derby chief. “What are they going to say to me? No-one intends to make an error, I have a funny feeling it is, but it is just frustrating. If it was the other way I am not saying I would have asked the referee to reverse the decision. But there was absolutely no debate.

“The officials are pretty close to it for the first one, aren't they? I am disappointed they haven't seen it. But they can only give what they see.

“That was frustrating. I know there is a lot of skulduggery and panto in football, but at every level, you know something is wrong by the players' reactions.

“Nobody complained about the second (Norwich) goal, not that they could, because there was nothing to complain about. But I just knew at the time, and I can rewind situations by 15 or 30 seconds, but that plays a big part of the game.”

Warne was asked if the time had come for the video assistant referee (VAR) technology to be used in the Championship, along with the Premier League.

“I think the game is getting more and more complicated. It is a game of inches,” he said. “I would have liked it (today) but you could argue our second goal the player was in his eyeline so that could be offside.

“You will always get the odd penalty against you but Kayden (Jackson) is touched and if that is outside the area it is a foul but you can chase a centre back into the corner and breath on him and it is a foul. Even if you had VAR certain things are still subjective and open to opinion. I don’t think anyone would complain both balls were out of play.

“I thought we gave them a little too much respect in the first half. They are an awkward side to play against. The two centre halves, the left back tucks inside and drags our winger in there so they always have an outlet pass. We had a gilt-edged chance early on which would have been on my highlights reel. But they get the first goal.

“Second half, I loved it. I would have paid to watch it. I thought at 3-2 this was like watching a game from the 1980s, sending the keeper up, who has good feet, and I thought it was going to be one of those days. Congratulations to them. There wasn’t a lot between the teams.”