Derby County 6 Rotherham United 1: Depleted Millers battered by rampant Rams as Paul Warne's weekend is ruined

A depleted Millers side, robbed of four key players due to suspension, illness and injury, were battered by the rampant Rams, who have a play-off place in their sights.

Martyn Waghorn hit a hat-trick, two of them penalties, while Bradley Johnson, Mason Mount and Duane Holmes were also on target.

Richard Wood got on the scoresheet for the Millers, but it did little to quell the embarrassment.

Results elsewhere were not overly kind and Warne's side occupy the final spot in the relegation zone and are two points behind Millwall, who have a game in hand.

It is not terminal by any means, but the Millers cannot let this defeat have any affect on the remaining seven games of the season.

How different things might have been had Warne been able to select the ill Michael Smith, the injured Clark Robertson or suspended duo Will Vaulks or Joe Mattock we will never know, but one thing is for sure, the Millers will put up a better show with those four players back next week.

It was the heaviest defeat of Warne's league managerial career and he accepted that Derby were not flattered by their hefty win.

“No one likes to lose heavily but at the start of the season Brentford gave us a good licking and we bounced back so it might reset everybody,” a hopeful Warne offered.

“I believe it will have some psychological harm for a couple of days but on Monday we’ll be there to pick them up again so I hope they hurt over the weekend because it’s certainly ruined mine but I don’t think it will have long-term damage.”

It took the Rams 13 minutes to open the deadlock as Waghorn netted from the spot after Mount went down under a trip from Ben Wiles, though contact was limited.

The Millers could have been level but Semi Ajayi's close-range effort was cleared off the line, with just inches to spare, but after that it got grim quickly.

Warne said Johnson's header in the 39th minute was offside, but the Rams midfielder was completely unmarked, while Waghorn's second three minutes later gave the hosts a 3-0 half-time lead.

Mount fired in a fourth just after the restart before Wood powered home a header to at least get the Millers on the scoresheet.

Holmes furthered the Millers' pain when he tucked home and Waghorn treated himself to the matchball with a second penalty after some reckless goalkeeping from Marek Rodak saw him fell Tom Lawrence.

Derby: Roos; Bogle, Keogh, Tomori, Malone (Cole 76), Holmes, Johnson, Mount (Bennett 76), Wilson, Waghorn (Marriott 81), Lawrence

Unused subs: Carson, Wisdom, Bryson, Huddlestone

Rotherham: Rodak, Vyner, Ihiekwe, Wood, Jones, Ajayi, Taylor (Towell 46), Williams, Wiles (Crooks 46), Newell, Yates (Forde 78)

Unused subs: Price, Palmer, Smith, Kayode

Referee: Tim Robinson

Attendance: 27,003