Police had to help restore order on the pitch at Pride Park after Robbie Savage was at the centre of ugly scenes in an ill-tempered match.
Two officers were forced to act when players squared up to each other after a tackle on the Welsh international that saw Swanseas Gorka Pintado dismissed.
Shefki Kuqi scored the goal that extended Swanseas unbeaten Championship run to 11 games, but the match will be remembered for the mass brawl that followed a few minutes later.
Tempers were already frayed following the dismissal of Derbys James McEveley for a second yellow card. But matters got out of hand when Swansea substitute Pintado, who had only been on the pitch for nine minutes, was shown a straight red by referee Steve Tanner for a ridiculous tackle from behind that sent Savage cart-wheeling over the touchline near the corner flag.
Flashpoint: Derby"s Robbie Savage is brought down by Swansea"s Gorka Pintado
Pintado was surrounded by furious Derby players, including keeper Stephen Bywater, who pushed the Spanish striker over. That sparked a prolonged bout of pushing and shoving involving 18 players, coaches and the police before order was restored.
Both clubs face hefty fines for failing to control their players but Derby boss Nigel Clough was unrepentant. He said: ;We do not want players to walk away from those sort of situations. We expect them to support their team-mate, especially after a tackle like that.
;You need a show of togetherness and spirit in a team.
Clough also dismissed Swansea boss Paulo Sousas claim that the officials had been biased towards the home team. Sousa said: ;We played against 14 today everybody saw it.
But Clough retorted: ;He can pop down to the FA and explain his comments if thats what he thinks.
Melee: Pintado is pushed to the ground
The spat between the managers merely mirrored events on the pitch. At the start of the second half, referee Tanner summoned both skippers and urged them to ;cool it after issuing two quick bookings. The warning went unheeded, however. In the 65th minute, the linesman flagged for a foul against McEveley following an off-the-ball clash that earned the Derby defender his second yellow.
That prompted a prolonged rant from McEveley towards the official which continued as he took a flying kick at the water bottles in front of the dug-out.
To add further insult to injury as far as the home fans were concerned, Kuqi got in first to glance home David Cotterills free-kick off the inside of the post.
Derby were unfortunate not to equalise in the 88th minute as Michael Tonges free-kick crashed back out off the crossbar.
Derby could now face a third charge this season of failing to control their players.
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