Tony Pulis: West Bromwich Albion "battered" Derby County

Tony Pulis has insisted that West Bromwich Albion were unfortunate to lose their FA Cup third-round tie with Derby County as his side "battered them at times".

The Rams recovered from behind at The Hawthorns to earn a 2-1 victory over their Midlands rivals, courtesy of second-half goals from Darren Bent and Tom Ince.

Albion had a total of 23 attempts on goal - five of which were on target - while also enjoying the lion's share of possession, but they were dealt a sucker punch as they fell at the competition's first hurdle.

"I didn't see it coming, even after they scored their goals," he is quoted as saying by the Birmingham Mail. "The two goals are disappointing goals.

"I still thought we did enough to not get beat today. I thought we battered them at times. We got in 60 crosses today, had nearly 30 shots. I'm not sure how many were on target.

"All the stats show we've had a right go today. In cup football you need the breaks and a bit of luck. Derby defended heroically, you can't take that away from them. We're really disappointed, because the players have played well and given it everything."

West Brom return to Premier League action next weekend with a trip to face Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane.