Steve McClaren has claimed that his Derby County side were "robbed" by a "ridiculous decision" in tonight's 3-1 League Cup defeat at home to Chelsea.

The Blues put one foot in the semi-final after Eden Hazard and Filipe Luis helped Chelsea into a 2-0 lead, but Craig Bryson reduced the arrears on 71 minutes.

County's comeback bid then suffered a blow when Jake Buxton was given a red card for fouling Loic Remy, with the officials concluding that it was a goalscoring opportunity.

"They grew into the game, got better, and once we got the goal we were in the ascendency and the momentum was with us, and we've been robbed, really, by a ridiculous decision," McClaren told Sky Sports News.

"I've watched it over and over and the foul is actually by Remy on Buxton because Buxton was ahead of him and you just see he pulls his left arm out of the way which gets him in front. Then [Lee] Grant is coming out and Remy isn't appealing for the foul but for handball outside the box which we thought was the decision.

"It's unbelievable to see that Buxton was sent off. We've talked nice and calmly about it with the officials and I just said 'from that distance and angle you can't see what Remy did, we understand that, but the decision is wrong'."

League One outfit Sheffield United shocked top-flight Southampton in the night's other quarter-final.

Newcastle United face Tottenham Hotspur in another last-eight clash tomorrow, while Bournemouth also host Liverpool.