Football: SMITH HITS OUT OVER 'ROBBIE-RY'; DERBY 2 LEICESTER 3

ROBBIE Savage was accused of diving by Derby manager Jim Smith after an incredible finale to this thrilling match.

Savage won Leicester a last-minute penalty which Muzzy Izzet converted to secure their first Premiership win of the season, but the result became almost a minor statistic.

After Savage had been fouled by Derby defender Danny Higginbotham, and a spot-kick was awarded, he was chased across the penalty box by Craig Burley - who pulled him back to spark a 20-man melee which led to the Derby skipper and his team-mate Fabrizio Ravanelli both being booked.

Then when Savage left the pitch at the end of the game, there was pushing and shoving in the plastic 'caterpillar' tunnel, which shook from side to side before the Leicester player was brought back out on to the pitch.

As stewards and police dived in from all directions Savage was blocked from going back down the tunnel until the area had cleared.

Smith said of the penalty: "It was a harsh decision. We all know, and I would have thought that the referee would know, that when Mr Savage goes down in the box he might take a little dive - and that is what he did."

Leicester manager Peter Taylor, who saw the immediate pressure eased on him with this win, said: "There were a lot of people and a lot of them lost control. I mean staff and security people were trying to calm everyone down and then people lost control and it got silly.

"There were just a couple of players having a ding-dong. It was verbal and pushing but the security staff got involved and they should not have done.

"Our penalty was a definite penalty."

Yet in the cold light of day, Taylor will be delighted at his side kickstarting their season.

Derby had made the perfect start with a fine 1-2 between Ravanelli and Georgi Kinkladze saw the Italian feed Burton, who scored with a fine shot.

Leicester replied after 30 minutes when Jordan Stewart drove the ball into the Derby box and Dean Sturridge cheekily back-heeled it home.

Sturridge then put Leicester in front after being set clear from a pass by Ade Akinbiyi in the 63rd minute.

With five minutes left, Lee Marshall brought down Burton in the box and Ravanelli converted with a sweetly taken left-footed penalty.

Within minutes Savage himself went flying to spark the chaotic scenes which saw Burley wait

for him by the tunnel. DERBY: Oakes 7, Mawene 6, Riggott 6, Higginbotham 6, Boerten 8, Johnson 6, O'Neil 6, Kinkladze 7, Burley 6, Ravanelli 7, Burton 7. LEICESTER: WALKER 9, Marshall 7, Elliott 7, Davidson 6, Sinclair 6, Savage 8, Jones 7, Izzet 7, Stewart 7, Sturridge 8, Akinbiyi 7, MANAGER RATINGS: Smith 7; Taylor 7. REFEREE:G Barber 7.

ATTENDANCE: 26,863

MAN OF THE MATCH:

IAN WALKER: Made some great saves at crucial times

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