Derby County’s ten-man Under-21s bowed out of the Premier League Cup following a 2-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest at Loughborough University Stadium on Monday night.
Julian Larsson opened the scoring shortly after the hour mark before substitute Kyle McAdam added a stoppage-time second for the visitors.
Defender Rhys Brailsford was sent off on 77 minutes after picking up two yellow cards on a disappointing night for Pat Lyons' side.
Chances were hard to come by during the opening stages, with Ola Ibrahim testing Forest goalkeeper Aaron Bott from the edge of the area on 14 minutes with the game’s first shot.
Harry Evans was alert at his near post to deny Alex Mighten down the other end moments later, as the sides began to trade opportunities.
Owen Oseni, making his first start for the young Rams, capitalised on a defensive error to get in behind on 22 minutes, but his stabbed effort was turned around the post by Bott.
Darren Robinson saw a deflected strike go wide just after the half-hour and the resultant corner broke to Ibrahim on the edge of the Forest box, but he lashed over the crossbar.
With the interval looming, Mighten might have fancied himself to find the opener when Sam Collins floated a pass in behind for him to latch onto, but Evans was quickly out to the edge of his area to smother him.
Jamie McDonnell headed over from a corner on the stroke of half-time, meaning an industrious first period ended goalless.
The second half was quicker to get going, with Mighten missing the target from favourable positions twice inside five minutes of play resuming.
Larsson sent a 20-yard free-kick into the side-netting before Mighten stung Evans’ palms as the young Rams’ backline came under pressure.
And Forest made that pressure tell when Collins won possession deep in the Derby half and Alex Gibson-Hammond slipped a pass through to Larsson, who applied the finish from 10 yards out.
Brailsford, who’d been booked in the first half for a strong challenge on Mighten, was shown a second yellow card in the 77th minute following a foul on Gibson-Hammond.
Sonny Blu Lo-Everton’s corners were causing problems for the visitors’ defence as the young Rams looked to find a route back into the tie, but it was Forest who found the next goal.
Just seconds after his introduction from the bench, McAdam got in behind the Derby defence before finishing well across Evans in the last action of the evening.
Lyons' side's next outing is in the Derbyshire Senior Cup on Wednesday 1st March, when they travel to Alfreton Town for a 7.45pm kick-off.
Derby County Under-21s: Evans (GK), Brailsford, Solomon, Grewal-Pollard, Oduroh, Bates, Robinson, Kelly-Caprani (Hawkins 73’), Ibrahim, Lo-Everton, Oseni (Brown 61’).
Substitutes Not Used: Roberts (GK), Richards, Moore.
Nottingham Forest Under-21s: Bott (GK), Hammond, Abbott, McDonnell, Powell, Gibson-Hammond (McAdam 90+2'), Collins, Hammond, Mighten (Perkins 71’), Larson, Osong.
Substitutes Not Used: Hammond (GK), Thompson, Perry.
