Preston North End came from behind to book a place in the third round of the Carabao Cup against either Brighton & Hove Albion or Portsmouth at Deepdale.
Substitutes Tom Barkhuizen – with a stunning 25 yard strike – and a penalty from Daniel Johnson booked a tie at Deepdale after reversing the scoreline following Jason Knight’s opener just after half-time.
There were ten changes from the opening day clash with Swansea City, Alan Browne retaining his place, but moving from right back to No.10, with Declan Rudd back for his first start since Bristol City and Paul Gallagher named captain on the night of his 300th appearance for the club.
The first half, which finished goalless, was one where the Lilywhites will have left the field wondering how they were not out of sight, their high press full of energy causing all sorts of problems for the hosts, led from the front by former England skipper Wayne Rooney.
The first of four good chances to fall the way of the visitors in the opening period came 20 minutes in as Tom Bayliss was fouled by Morgan Whittaker with loose challenge 20 yards out in a left-hand channel. Trying to write the script for his treble-century, Gallagher lined up the free kick, but he fired just over from the dead ball opportunity.
The next three chances came in a quick four-minute spell, either side of the half hour mark. Firstly, Sean Maguire was brought down off the ball by Lee Buchanan and this time Josh Harrop took the free kick, which flew an inch wide of the right-hand post from 25 yards with Roos beaten.
Moments later, again some great PNE pressing saw Joe Rafferty this time doing the job in the opposition box! Jayden Stockley got on the end of the forced bouncing ball but his arrowed shot from 12 yards out was over the bar.
Roos was needed though soon after, as more energetic pressing from Browne won the ball off Matt Clarke on half-way. The Irish No.8 fed Harrop on the left, who checked inside and forced a full stretch save from the home team No.21 in the Rams goal.
But six minutes after half-time came the sucker-punch. Derby broke, Graeme Shinnie crossing from the left to Jason Knight, whose shot was blocked initially, but eventually came back out to him around the penalty spot and he drilled into the roof of the net with Rudd having no chance.
But less than five minutes later, there was a big moment. A huge booming kick from Declan Rudd bounced in behind the Rams backline and Sean Maguire got behind Mike Te Wierik, but was felled by the centre half, referee Andy Davies going straight to his pocket for the red card.
Gallagher’s resulting free kick, right on the edge of the box, was blocked by Rooney, but North End had a new hope. And chances started to come. Firstly, Roos was again needed to make a save from Stockley after Browne’s knock down, before the game entered the final half hour.
Maguire was next to test Roos, a low shot through a crowd of bodies, the keeper getting down to his left to just tip around the foot of the post after a flurry of activity in the home team’s penalty area.
Tom Barkhuizen, Scott Sinclair and Daniel Johnson were all added for the final 15 minutes of the game as it was all out attack from the blues looking to at least take the game to penalty kicks.
And they got level on 79 minutes and what a strike it was! It was a cross from the left by Rafferty, headed up in the air by George Evans, coming down to Darnell Fisher, who nodded into the path of Barkhuizen and he powered a half volley from 25 yards in off the underside of the bar to level matters.
And with one second of normal time remaining came a chance to win it. A chance for Sinclair in the left corner of the penalty area saw him fire in a shot that Roos saved, but the ball fell to Barkhuizen, who laid it for Fisher to cross from the right, only for Lee Buchanan to get an arm in the way and Andy Davies pointed straight to the spot.
Daniel Johnson stepped up calmly and sent Roos the wrong way, firing perfectly into the top left-hand corner of the goal in the second of five added on minutes.
Derby County line-up: Roos, Wisdom, Shinnie, Te Wierik, Clarke, Sibley (C Davies, 56), Whittaker (Brown, 68), Evans (Marriott, 89), Buchanan, Rooney (c), Knight. Subs not used: Marshall, Forsyth, Bird, Ibrahim.
PNE line-up: Rudd, Fisher, Rafferty, Bayliss (Barkhuizen, 67), Bauer, Huntington, Maguire, Gallagher (c) (Sinclair, 75), Stockley, Browne, Harrop (Johnson, 75). Subs not used: Ripley, B Davies, Hughes, Ledson.
Referee: Andy Davies