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0-1 - Liam Lawrence - deflected shot looped over Stephen Bywater (7)
1-1 - Stephen Pearson - glancing header from a Robbie Savage cross (49)
1-2 - Ricardo Fuller - finished powerfully after demonstrating good juggling skills (64)
2-2 - Arnaud Mendy - spectacular overhead kick following up a ferocious Paul Green volley, from a Gary Teale cross, that was too hot for Thomas Sorensen to handle (90+)
Derby County (4-5-1): -
Stephen Bywater [6] - GK - a reasonably solid game for Bywater. Had no chance with the two goals and hardly had another shot to save. Put his side in trouble a couple of times with poor clearances.
Paul Connolly [6] - RB - a solid game for Connolly defensively. Distributed well. Looked to get forward in support of Gary Teale but was reluctant to overlap.
Miles Addison [6] - CB(R) - a comfortable game for Addison, mainly covering Jake Buxton. Kept his passes simple and brought the ball out of defence a couple of times.
Jake Buxton [7] - CB(L) - a dominant game for Buxton that saw him look very comfortable against James Beattie and Dave Kitson. Always attacked the ball, leaving Addison to cover, and won virtually all his headers. Read the game well making some very timely interceptions. Looked vulnerable when an attacker had the ball under control and ran at him, which led to the cross for Stoke's second game. Demonstrated good distribution. I had some doubts that Buxton could step up to Coca-Cola Championship level but on this performance he is definitely good enough.
Jay McEveley [6] - LB - a game in which McEveley worked hard and kept his concentration throughout. Looked solid but could've helped Buxton out more in the build-up to Stoke City's second goal. Attempted to get forward in support of Dean Moxey but without much impact.
Paul Green [7] - CM(R) - Derby had the lion's share of possession due to the effectiveness of the central midfield trio and Green fully contributed to this. In the first half the passing was pretty but lacked penetration. After the break there was a higher tempo, more creativity, and Green got forward more, as evidenced by his brilliant volley that set-up Arnaud Mendy's spectacular late equaliser. Kept going all game and showed a great engine. Switched to the right wing when Mendy came on.
Robbie Savage [7] - CM - Savage fully played his part in a central midfield trio that very effectively controlled midfield. Demonstrated a good range of passing and had a high work rate. Produced an excellent cross for Stephen Pearson's goal.
Stephen Pearson [7] - CM(L) - looked very impressive in a central midfield trio that dominated possession. Looked fully fit and showed a great engine to keep breaking forward. Always looking to attack, Pearson scored Derby's first equaliser with a great header inside the penalty area.
Gary Teale [6] - RM - saw quite a lot of the ball but didn't get much change out of Danny Higginbotham. Always looking for the ball, he did get a few crosses over and won some corners. Hit a fantastic cross-field ball late on that set-up Mendy's goal. Switched to the left wing when Giles Barnes came on.
Dean Moxey [6] - LM - had a solid game on the left wing but didn't really threaten in an attacking sense, preferring to keep his passes simple and square or back. Did try to beat Tom Soares a few times by kicking the ball passed him and running by him but Soares was able to win the ball on each occasion, except for the first time Moxey tried this when Soares cynically blocked him off. Switched to left back when Giles Barnes came on and gave the ball away a few times by being over zealous as Derby chased an equaliser late on.
Steve Davies [6] - SC - worked hard up front as the lone striker, had a few chances to score a goal, but his shots weren't cleanly hit and didn't trouble Sorensen. Was generally beaten in the air by Abdoulaye Faye but did hold the ball up well and link up play on the deck. Was at his most effective when running out wide.
Substitutes: -
Kris Commons [6] - SC (for Davies, 67) - looked fitter than he did against Burton Albion on Thursday evening and contributed as the lone striker. Had influence on the game and helped produce a higher second half tempo. Drifted out left where him and Teale were close to stepping on each others toes a couple of times.
Giles Barnes [6] - RM (for McEveley, 76) - didn't have long to get into the game but looked up for the game and got involved. Opted not to challenge for headers a few times but showed some quality on the ball. Unlucky to pick up an achilles injury after a poorly timed Stoke City challenge on him.
Ben Pringle [n/a] - CM(L) (for Pearson, 83) - not enough time to really get involved but showed some neat touches and looked like he can contribute to the pivotal central midfield trio.
Arnaud Mendy [n/a] - CM(R) (for Barnes, 90) - hardly on the field at all but bombed forward twice, the second time with dramatic effect to spectacularly score the late equaliser with an overhead kick.
Substitutes not used: Saul Deeney.
Pride Park Stadium, Derby. Attendance: 23,259...