Birmingham City took another small, but significant step to safety, with one point at home to Derby - but it should have been all three.
Blues were denied a late penalty that - had they scored it - would have guaranteed their safety bar a freak 30 goal swing in the final three games.
As it is they go to Rotherham on Monday knowing a fourth successive draw will be enough to keep them up. At a relative canter compared to recent seasons.
Here’s what stood out from a pulsating first half and nerve-jangling second.
Clapped out and clapped off
There have been plenty of standing ovations for Blues players this season but the one afforded Lukas Jutkiewicz was a Champagne moment.
With ten minutes left Jutkiewicz had chased back to the touchline deep in his own half to help out Jacques Maghoma and Kristian Pedersen.
He barrelled between a couple of players then lunged, over-stretching to try and keep the ball in play and hit the turf writhing in pain.
A few seconds later he got up, tried to run off but then seized up and was back on the deck.
It was all he could to do carry his empty tank and cramping carcass to the dugout to be replaced by Isaac Vassell.
St Andrew’s rose in recognition of another outstanding display from Jutkiewicz who scored his 13th goal - a career best in a single season - and won every header going.
Obviously Che Adams is going to win Player of the Year - but for his sheer unstinting effort and integrity Jutkiewicz deserves some award to go with his many Champagne moments.
What's happening at Blues?
Purple patch
Michael Morrison has also produced a season’s best ever return.
The captain’s strike was his seventh of the campaign - all of them in the league and he now has as many goals as yellow cards.
Only Blackburn’s corner-taker extraordinaire Charlie Mulgrew has more for a defender - with ten.
And admittedly this isn’t a fair test - the 31-year-old has either played more games or been in the penalty area more than the following players - but he’s up there with some illustrious names.
Just for the sheer mischief let’s point out that Morrison has scored as many as QPR winger Luke Freeman, Conor Hourihane and Norwich attacker Onel Hernandez.
He has more goals than Jack Grealish, who has six in 29 matches, Joe Allen six in 43, the Jordans Rhodes and Hugill both of whom have played 35 and Tom Ince who has also appeared in 35 Championship matches for his six goals.
You could also throw John McGinn and Barry Bannan into the mix but you get the picture. The True Blue is enjoying a purple patch.
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Cornering well
All of Morrison’s goals have come from set-piece situations, either directly from the delivery or picking up the scraps as he did against Derby.
Connor Mahoney has been Provider-in-Chief in recent weeks with his ability to deliver an inswinger with either foot.
Mahoney pulled up lame in the week and was not involved on Friday so set-piece duty went to Jota and Jacques Maghoma.
And you’d have to say both players compensated well. Jota’s left-footed inswinger set up Jutkiewicz, while Maghoma’s right-footed inswinger created the scramble for Morrison.
Indeed both players provided a regular supply line of quality delivery which had Derby rabbits in headlights.
They are going to have to defend set-pieces far better if they get into the play-offs because West Brom, Aston Villa and Leeds or Sheffield United will torment them otherwise.
About time
Jota kept his place in the starting line-up because of Mahoney’s injury, albeit not a serious one.
It’s probably an understatement to say the Spaniard needed a good performance after a string of sub-par displays in which he has failed to impact games.
It’s important to say he was not at his rampant Nottingham Forest/QPR peak but this was probably his best showing for a couple of months.
Not only was his set-piece delivery far, far better, with much more on the ball, he looked slightly more purposeful.
Probably his highlight came when he shrugged off a Derby player in the centre circle and threaded a perfectly-weighted pass through to Adams which produced a shot that Ashley Cole blocked.
Overall Jota did OK up against Cole and in the second half went round him with such ease, which earned the veteran a yellow card, you wondered why he hadn’t tried to go on the outside more often.
But this should be his baseline level.
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