A header from substitute Mileta Rajovic two minutes into injury time rescued a point for Watford in a feisty 2-2 draw with Millwall at Vicarage Road.
The burly Danish forward nodded in an Imran Louza cross to cancel out a late Wes Harding header and keep both sides entrenched in mid-table.
Watford keeper Daniel Bachmann had already kept out a Zian Flemming shot with a sprawling stop by the time an error from his Millwall counterpart Bartosz Bialkowski helped the home side into a seventh-minute lead when the Pole failed to hold an Edo Kayembe shot.
One calamity then followed another as Jake Cooper’s attempted clearance cannoned back into the net off Yaser Asprilla.
The goalmouth action was relentless with Millwall finding an equaliser following a corner. Casper De Norre sent a cross back into the area which Tom Bradshaw flicked on for Flemming to stoop and nod in at the far post.
The home side thought they had restored their lead just before the half-hour mark when the ball ricocheted to Asprilla five yards out, but his rasping left-foot shot was somehow palmed to safety by Bialkowski from point-blank range.
Brilliant defending from Danny McNamara then blocked a goalbound Ken Sema shot, before Cooper saw a shot from Jeremy Ngakia strike his legs and dribble inches wide of the post just after half-time.
At the other end, Brooke Norton-Cuffy embarked on a waltzing run which ended with a slipped pass to substitute Ryan Longman, who curled narrowly wide.
The flow of the game was not helped by over-fussy officiating by referee Keith Stroud, but Francisco Sierralta lifted an 81st-minute shot wastefully over the bar from close range for the hosts.
Millwall thought they had seized victory through Harding when the central defender’s second goal in as many games put the visitors ahead in front of their delirious supporters.
Harding rose to meet George Saville’s 85th-minute corner and it seemed his central defensive partner Cooper would make it 3-1 two minutes later when he headed goalwards. Somehow Watford substitute Rhys Healey headed that effort up and against his own crossbar, setting the scene for Rajovic’s injury-time heroics.
The draw extended Watford’s recent unbeaten run to four games, but could not dispel the impression that even at this early stage of the season, both sides look likely to finish in the middle of the pack.
Huddersfield all but relegated from Championship while League Two play-off spots decided
Huddersfield Town saw their relegation from the Championship all but confirmed after a 1-1 draw with fellow strugglers Birmingham City on Saturday.
The Terriers avoided a defeat that would have seen them relegated on Saturday, but even a win on the final day over promotion hopefuls Ipswich Town will not be enough unless they overcome a huge goal difference of 15 goals with Plymouth Argyle.
Birmingham remain in the other relegation place and now must beat Norwich City to stand a chance of staying up with Sheffield Wednesday, Plymouth and Blackburn Rovers also still in danger.
At the other end of the table, the Canaries dropped points in a 2-2 draw with Swansea City, leaving the door open for Hull City, who face Ipswich Town later today.
Huddersfield Town all but relegated from Championship while League Two play-off fate is decided
Huddersfield Town saw their relegation all but confirmed after a 1-1 draw with fellows strugglers Birmingham City.
The Terriers avoided a defeat that would have seen them relegated on Saturday, but even a win on the final day over promotion hopefuls Ipswich Town will not be enough unless they overcome a huge goal difference of 15 goals with Plymouth Argyle.
Birmingham remain in the other relegation place and now must beat Norwich City to stand a chance of staying up with Sheffield Wednesday, Plymouth and Blackburn Rovers also still in danger.
At the other end of the table, the Canaries dropped points in a 2-2 draw with Swansea City, leaving the door open for Hull City, who face Ipswich Town later today.
Derby seal Championship return with Carlisle win as Cheltenham drop to League Two
Derby County sealed a Championship return by beating already-relegated Carlisle United 2-0 at Pride Park on the final day of the League One season.
Derby knew a single point would end their two-year stay in the third tier of English football, with Bolton Wanderers waiting to pounce if the Rams did suffer a shock defeat.
However, such a slip-up never looked likely as Max Bird's powerful strike from outside the area put them ahead within five minutes, and James Collins added a close-range second on the hour mark to make certain of promotion.
Paul Warne's team finished five points behind Portsmouth, who clinched the title earlier this month, and five clear of Bolton – who needed a late equaliser from Cameron Jerome to draw 3-3 with Peterborough.
Bolton will face Barnsley in the play-offs as the Tykes were not punished for their 1-1 draw with Northampton Town, defeats for Blackpool and Lincoln City denying them the chance to gatecrash the top six.
Fourth-placed Peterborough will face Oxford United in the other play-off semi-final, as the U's clinched a 2-1 win over Exeter City to claim fifth place in the final reckoning.
Three of the four relegation places had already been decided before Saturday's matches, with Carlisle, Port Vale, and Fleetwood Town on their way to League Two.
Cheltenham will join them after Nick Freeman struck a 90th-minute winner in their 2-1 loss at Stevenage. Darrell Clarke's side needed a win to save themselves and send Burton Albion down in their place, but they were hit with a late sucker punch as their three-year stay in League One came to an end.
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