The first half was pretty much about our hosts. They showed more creativity and closed us down well when we did have the ball. Antonio was a handful and Ryan Shotton was given a hard time by the Forest winger.
The game as usual was very physical. Buxton, Shotton, Eustace, Reid and Lansbury all put in some very physical challenges.
Derby stepped up a gear in the second half and showed that they weren't happy to settle for a scrambled point. However, it was the home side who finally broke the deadlock late on in the game. Antonio crossed for Assombalongs who slipped initially, but recovered to provide a quality finish into the corner of the net.
Forest's joy was short liver though as the Rams replied minutes later. A Richard Keogh header hit the bar and Ryan Shotton hit the rebound which was palmed away by Darlow only for Leon Best to smack in what he thought was his first goal for Derby. TV replays however, showed the strike by Shotton had crossed the line.
The drama wasn't over! Shortly afterwards Jake Buxton received his second yellow card after he fouled Assombalonga and then went in hard on Burke after the ref had blown. In all honesty he might have gone earlier in the game and Henri Lansbury too was fortunate to stay on the field after a nasty looking challenge on Will Hughes.
All in all a draw seemed a fair result. It was a hard fought match and both sides showed the resilience that is need to have a successful season.
There were many performances of note, but for me Will Hughes was the best player in a white shirt.
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