Ten-man Nottingham Forest clinched a dramatic 2-2 draw at home to Stoke City as they rescued a point in the dying minutes.
After opening the scoring through Brennan Johnson, the hosts had to come from behind after Brice Samba was sent off. But Ryan Yates levelled right at the death to ensure they took something from the game.
A scrappy first half saw the Reds struggle to get going and looking a little leggy after a busy week.
They were not helped by referee Leigh Doughty, who was the source of plenty of frustration for the home crowd amid a fair few inconsistent decisions.
Forest were handed an early wake-up call when Ben Wilmot struck the bar after just two minutes, sending a cross-shot towards the back post which had Brice Samba beaten.
The Reds stopper didn’t have too much to do apart from that, though, despite the visitors seeing more of the ball in the opening 45 minutes.
At the other end of the pitch, chances were few and far between for the hosts, but they did create some promising moments.
Brennan Johnson had a shot charged down on the quarter-hour, then Djed Spence forced a decent save from Joe Bursik. Played in by Philip Zinckernagel, the right-back let fly a fierce effort, but it was straight at the Potters goalkeeper, who held on at the second attempt.
The best opportunity fell to Johnson with 36 minutes gone. Latching on to a long ball from Samba, the youngster looked to lift it over Bursik but was a little too close to him and couldn’t get the height needed to beat his opponent.
In a repeat of the first half, Stoke hit the woodwork early in the second period; Lewis Baker sending a free-kick crashing against the post.
But this time, the response from the Reds was immediate as they quickly went on to take the lead.
Substitute Sam Surridge made an instant impact against the team he left on deadline day. The striker played in Max Lowe, who whipped in a terrific ball for Johnson to slot home in the 56th minute.
Little more than 10 minutes later, however, the visitors were level as Josh Maja turned the ball in from a corner.
Johnson went close to a second as the game headed into the final 10 minutes, drawing a save from Bursik.
There was drama in the final minutes as Samba was shown a straight red card for challenging Steven Fletcher, with a penalty also awarded.
Joe Worrall went in goal but was unable to stop Baker making it 2-1. But there was still time for a dramatic equaliser as Ryan Yates was on hand to finish after a James Garner free-kick had hit the woodwork.
Here’s how Reds reporter Sarah Clapson rated the Forest players at the City Ground...
Brice Samba: Red card proved costly. Error of judgement had big consequences for the hosts - didn't need to get involved, either. Rating: 3/10
Joe Worrall: Showed his commitment to the cause by donning the goalkeeper gloves when Samba was sent off. Didn’t have much chance with the penalty, though. Rating: 8/10
Steve Cook: Made some big challenges in the first half especially, when the visitors saw plenty of the ball. Tried to carry the ball out of defence, too. Rating: 7.5/10
Scott McKenna: A typically consistent performance from the Scot, who didn’t give Stoke much change. Generally pretty solid throughout. Rating: 7/10
Djed Spence: Put in his trademark lung-busting runs down the right, even if they didn’t always get the desired end result. Forced a good save in the first half. Rating: 7.5/10
Jack Colback: Worked tirelessly in a game which was a real scrap at times. Dug in when his team looked tired and came under the cosh. Rating: 7/10
James Garner: Some lovely touches and passes, and always tried to make something happen. Hit the woodwork with the free-kick which led to the late equaliser. Rating: 7.5/10
Max Lowe: What a ball in for the opener. It was exquisite. Had to hold back a little in challenges, though, after a booking in the first few minutes left him walking a very fine tightrope. Rating: 7.5/10
Brennan Johnson: Lovely finish to reach double-figures for the season. Had been a bit of a struggle before that as had missed a good chance in the first half. On hand when he needed to be, though. Rating: 7.5/10
Keinan Davis: Put a real shift in during an opening 45 minutes which was tough going at times. Kept Stoke on their toes with his strength, pace and excellent hold-up play. Just needed to see more of the ball. Rating: 7.5/10
Philip Zinckernagel: Made some great breaks which caused the Potters problems, including one in the second half which almost teed up Davis. They didn’t always come off, but the intent was there. Rating: 7/10
Subs
Sam Surridge (for Davis, 54mins): Made an immediate impact when he came on, helping to set up Johnson’s goal. Another lively appearance. Rating: 7.5/10
Ryan Yates (for Zinckernagel, 82mins): Came off the bench to rescue a point for his side with a late equaliser. Rating: 7.5/10
Alex Mighten (for Cook, 82mins): Didn’t get much of a chance to get in the game amid a dramatic finish. Great to see him back, though. Rating: 7/10
Subs not used: Horvath, Figueiredo, Cafu, Silva.
