Further goals from Johnny Russell, Jeff Hendrick and a Simon Dawkins double completed the turnaround in West London, ensuring that Derby County progress through to the quarter finals of the League Cup.

There we have it then, as the referee brings an end to proceedings at Craven Cottage. It all started so well for Fulham, with Moussa Dembele's double putting them well and truly in command in the closing stages of the first half. Chris Martin kick-started an incredible five-goal comeback, though, converting from the spot shortly before the interval.

This defeat will of course Symons's hopes of landing the permanent manager's job at Fulham ever so slightly, but it must be remembered what a terrific job he has done in the league. All attention can no turn to continuing their impressive Championship resurgence until January at least when the FA Cup gets underway. Having conceded 10 times in two games against Derby this season, they will certainly hope not to draw them once more!

FULHAM SUB: Eisfield is brought on for the final few minutes in place of Ruiz. Incidentally, tonight's attendance at Craven Cottage has been confirmed as 15,156

CHANCE! There's not been a lot in the way of goalmouth action since the seventh goal of the game on 65 minutes, although Derby very nearly added their sixth following some positive play from Russell down the right. He managed to work his way to the byline before squaring the ball, but Hutchinson was on hand to clear away the danger.

Chris Martin has taken a boot to the face inside the penalty area, meaning that there will be a little break in play. It's incredible to believe that Fulham were leading 2-0 with a few seconds remaining of the first 45 minutes, remember, but ever since then it has been all one-way traffic.

A lot of home supporters opting to leave Craven Cottage now, as Dembele overhits a pass into the waiting hands of Roos. Fulham just want full time now.

Fulham unable to keep hold of the ball at the moment, with Derby looking comfortable. McClaren will be keen to regain some momentum having seen his side's 12-game unbeaten run come to an end on the weekend, and his players have gone the right way about doing so.

DERBY SUB: Will Hughes enters the fray for the Rams, ensuring that he has played in all of his side's games so far this campaign. Craig Bryson is the man to make way with a little over 10 minutes remaining.

Believe it or not, we have actually gone 10 minutes without a goal in this second half. Derby look happy to sit back on their lead now, while Fulham have seemingly run out of ideas.

DERBY SUB: Dawkins's evening has come to an end, so no chance of a treble for him, with Ibe the man coming on. The Liverpool loanee will be keen to add to his goal tally, scoring once so far this season.

FULHAM SUBS: Chris David and Ross McCormack are introduced for the home side in place of Williams and Roberts. It may be too little, too late.

Derby supporters are certainly in a more joyous mood than an hour ago, chanting "you're getting sacked in the morning" to Fulham's manager-in-waiting Kit Symons.

DERBY SUB: Paul Coutts has been introduced for the visitors, making his first appearance in 13 months.

Derby are running riot now, bagging their fourth goal in 20 second-half minutes. Dawkins was on hand to find the net, superbly flicking Russell's cross home at the front post. For the second time already this season, the Rams have put five past Fulham.

The game's first three goals may have came about through individual errors, but the last three have all been well-worked strikes, as Derby put some daylight between them and their opponents. A team move involving around 15 passes culminated in Forsyth crossing the ball for Hendrick to tap home from close range. Incredible turnaround.

YELLOW CARD! Mascarell enters the referee's book following a sloppy challenge right on the edge of the box which allowed Ruiz to fire in a free kick. The effort was fired a yard or so over the bar, however, as Fulham's best opportunity of the half came to nothing.

It's the Championship leaders who are continuing to press at the moment, going in search of a fourth goal which will surely settle the tie. A change is surely needed in order for the hosts to get beyond the halfway line.

Derby complete the turnaround with a thumping strike from Dawkins. Bryson picked out the Englishman, and he did the rest, stepping inside Hoogland before firing beyond Kirlay into the top corner of the net from 15 yards out. I make that three goals in nine minutes for the visitors, who have well and truly turned on the style since falling 2-0 behind.

Kirlay has now conceded 10 goals in three appearances for Fulham this season, incidentally, although in fairness there was not a lot he could do to keep out Russell's close-range drive a few minutes ago. The hefty away following are the ones making all the noise at the moment on the banks of the Thames.

Derby county have levelled it up just a minute or so after the restart! Dawkins, involved heavily in all of his side's attacking moves in the first half, powered towards the byline before squaring the ball across the face of goal. Fulham's defence failed to clear the danger, and Russell was on hand to smash the ball home from a few yards out. What a turnaround from McClaren's charges with goals either side of the interval.

SECOND HALF UNDERWAY! Derby, sporting their traditional black and white kit, get us back underway at Craven Cottage.

The teams are back onto the field, with no changes to report from the half-time interval. As it stands Fulham are headings for the quarter-finals of the League Cup, although they must now hold on for the remaining 45 minutes.

UPDATE: There are four other fourth-round ties taking place this evening, and much like this contest in West London there is not a lot to separate any of the teams. Chelsea leads Shrewsbury - the lowest ranked team remaining in the competition - by a goal-to-nil, while Bournemouth hold the same scoreline against West Bromwich Albion. It's currently goalless in the all-Premier League affair between Liverpool and Swansea City, meanwhile, with extra time a real possibility in that one.

Up until that second goal Derby had a 10-minute spell when they looked really threatening, and they certainly did not deserve to go into the interval 2-0 down. Hoogland's handball inside the area just a minute before the interval ensured that that wouldn't be the case, however, with Martin blasting home emphatically from the spot to ensure that it is very much game on in the second half at Craven Cottage.

Well what a frantic finish to the first half. It's be an entertaining 45 minutes, which was full of individual errors. Forsyth's weak back-pass allowed Dembele to put the hosts a goal up shortly before the half-hour mark, before the Frenchman added a second following Macarell's howler.

Chris Martin blasts the ball beyond Kirlay to give Derby a real lifeline on the brink of half time from the penalty spot. The spot-kick was awarded after Hoogland handled the ball inside the area, and the Rams' marksman made no mistake in finding the net. Game on.

Well I thought Forstyth's error which led to the first goal was bad, but this takes it up another level. Mascarell was the guilty party this time, collecting the ball in a deep position from his keeper, but getting caught in possession when closed down. Dembele took advantage of it, keeping his cool to roll the ball beyond Roos. Far too easy.

The Rams having a lot of joy down the right at the moment, while Russell and Dawkins look a real threat. Fulham were the better since for the opening 30 minutes or so, but it has been all Derby since then.

SAVE! Russell and Dawkins combine once more as Derby close in on an equaliser, with the former this time forcing Kirlay into a save down low. A quick one-two saw Russell played in on goal at a slightly tight angle, and he couldn't quite get the ball past the Fulham stopper who was quick to thwart the danger.

CLOSE! Much better from Derby, and although they have still yet to trouble Kirlay, this was as close as they have come. Dawkins created the chance, carrying the ball towards the box before poking it through to Russell who was situated at a tight angle. That didn't stop the striker getting away a first-time shot, though, which glanced inches wide of the target.

The home side have really taken control since edging ahead, with Ruiz just looking to make something happen in his position as the number 10. No out-ball for Derby at the moment and they are currently pegged inside their own half.

Fulham are playing some really nice football at the moment, and you have to say that they are good value for their lead. Derby have threatened in small parts, but they need to do more in the attacking third to test Kirlay.

It's an absolute howler from Forsyth which allows Dembele to score the easiest goal of his short career to date. The full-back passed the ball back to his keeper, unaware that the French youngster was waiting to close in, with Dembele latching onto it, knocking it past Roos and into the net.

The game far more-evenly matched now, although the visitors have still yet to test the opposition goalkeeper. They will need to up the tempo a little if they are to do so.

A rather unfortunate moment for Williams, who had just seven yards or so between him and goal, but his air-shot led to a mass cheer from the away section.

SHOT! Derby's best chance yet falls to Hendrick inside the area, after the midfielder latched onto a loose ball. His effort was deflected wide, though, with the corner coming to nothing.

Martin finds the ball at his feet inside the box, but he is unable to get a shot away and it is eventually cleared. The clearance allowed the hosts to break, although there was no chance created at the end of the promising-looking move.

A solid spell of possession for Fulham, then, yet they have failed to capitalise on their early chances with the game still locked at 0-0. Derby unable to get a grip on the game as of yet, although they have thwarted the danger of their opponents in the last few minutes at least.

SAVE! It's another chance for Fulham which Roos keeps out, although he should not have been given the chance to do so. Arthurworrey, who has been prolific in the Cottagers' Under-21 side this season, is picked out inside the box with a free header, but he powers it straight into the hands of the Rams stopper.

SAVE! Roos is called into action by Dembele once more, but this time he had the odds were stacked further against the Dutchman. Dembele cut inside Buxton into the box, although he failed to find the net once in a one-on-one position. He will have to wait a little while longer for his first Fulham goal.

SAVE! Patrick Roberts shows a glimpse of what he is capable of as he works his way towards the opposition box, eventually laying off Dembele 20 yards from goal, although his strike was easily handled by Roos in the end.

George Williams sees hit run halted by Forsyth down the left, allowing Fulham to push up the field. The Wales international has been pushing for a starting spot this season, and he has certainly had enough recognition on the international stage this season. Can he make the most of his opportunity tonight?

A decent spell in possession from the visitors over the last couple of minutes, which culminates in Christie getting a cross into the box, which is cleared away. Both sides much-changed, although the atmosphere inside the ground suggests that a cup run wouldn't go amiss.

SHOT! Hyndman gets away the game's first shot, curling a free-kick wide of goal from 20 yards out. Incidentally, this Fulham side have an average of just 23 years old.

KICKOFF! Derby get this League Cup fourth-round tie underway on the banks of the River Thames.

Kickoff is now just seconds away at Craven Cottage...

PREDICTION: This competition tends to offer sides from the lower leagues a real chance of tasting success, or at the very least an opportunity to reach the latter stages, with Cardiff City and Bradford City the most recent examples. The league is of course a priority for both teams, yet a win tonight and the quarter-finals await. I'm expecting a tight game, but I'll back Derby to win 2-1.

DID YOU KNOW? Fulham have scored eight goals in their last two League Cup games against Derby, coming in successive seasons between 2000-2002. In fact, the Whites have averaged a total of 4.5 goals-per-game in their last 17 games in this competition, so if all goes to plan we can expect to see a few goals this evening.

PREVIOUS MEETINGS: These two teams have met on 54 previous occasions, with Derby just about edging it overall, 19 wins to Fulham's 17. Their last meeting was anything by close, however, as the current Championship leaders crushed their opponents 5-1 in a one-sided affair.

In terms of tonight's visitors, they have certainly not suffered from the dreaded 'playoff hangover', which often sees sides who narrowly miss out on promotion one season dramatically collapse a few months on. Instead, McClaren has steadied his side, taking them to the top of the table at this admittedly still early stage. The Rams tasted defeat against a Wigan side struggling for form last time out, though, which saw the club's run of 12 games without defeat and six-successive clean sheets come to an end.

Well Fulham come into this game having turned a corner in terms of their league campaign. Having picked up just one point in their first seven games, Welshman Kit Symons was put in temporary charge, taking 13 points from a possible 21 since. It has seen the Cottagers climb from the foot of the table and into 20th place, culminating in a solid 3-0 victory over London rivals Charlton Athletic last Friday night which saw Symons' charges turn on the style.

Kickoff is now a little under 15 minutes away...

So as well as having the experience of Parker to call upon should they need to, Fulham also have record signing Ross McCormack among their backups, alongside most notably former Arsenal product Thomas Eisfeld. Paul Coutts is part of Derby's squad this evening for the first time in over a year having struggled with a dislocated knee problem, while hot-prospect Jordn Ibe is also among the subs.

Steve McClaren has opted to make five changes in all, with Kelle Roos being chosen between the sticks, while Simon Dawkins will feature for the second time in a week having previously missed the last five games through a hip injury. Ryan Shotton and Leon Best have not overcome illness in time, however, missing out on the matchday squad completely.

Both sides have made plenty of changes for this evening's tie, with attention perhaps fixed on league matters at this moment in time. Fulham caretaker manager Kit Symons brings in eight new faces, handing a debut to Stephen Arthurworrey in the centre of defence. Scott Parker is left out of the starting lineup, meanwhile, although Bryan Ruiz does start and captains the home side.

The hosts have recovered in recent weeks having made a poor start to their league campaign, while Derby currently lead the way in the second-tier following a strong start to the their own season. There's plenty to get through between now and kickoff at 8pm, so let's begin by taking a look at some team news.

Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live text coverage of the League Cup meeting between Fulham and Derby County at Craven Cottage. A place in the quarter-finals of the competition awaits the winner of this all-Championship affair, with both sides no doubt confident of securing their place in the final eight.