Clough was introduced to the Derby support on 7 January, prior to the kick off of the League Cup Semi-final First Leg against Manchester United. The match presided over by Academy Manager David Lowe as a result of Chris Hutchings leaving the club following Clough's appointment and Kris Commons's 30th minute 25-yard strike was enough to give the Rams a 1–0 lead to take into the second leg. The win was their second against Premier League opposition in the competition and put the club in the strange position of beating more Premier League teams in the 2008/09 season than the previous campaign when they had actually been in the Premier League.
