Derby County 1-1 Coventry City: Tom Lawrence penalty salvages point for Rams
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Coventry striker Matt Godden sent a shot across Derby goalkeeper Ryan Allsop to score his 12th goal of the season
Tom Lawrence's second-half penalty saw Derby County come from behind against Coventry City to salvage an important point in their battle against relegation.
Derby fell behind after 28 minutes through a well-worked goal as Matt Godden exchanged passes with Callum O'Hare before rifling a shot across Ryan Allsop.
The Rams were handed a way back into the game on 66 minutes when talisman Lawrence fired home a penalty after being felled by Ben Sheaf.
Coventry's Viktor Gyokeres missed twice when through on goal and Derby's Louie Sibley hit the post with a late header in a frantic finale, but neither side could claim the win.
The shared points moved Derby slightly closer to safety, and Coventry to within five points of the play-offs, but it would have felt like an unsatisfying result for both.
Derby forced a succession of early corners which came to nothing, while at the other end they failed to clear a corner properly and Curtis Davies' header towards his own goal found its way to Godden, but the Coventry striker could not get enough on the strike to trouble Allsop.
Allsop's opposite number Simon Moore was then forced to tip Ravel Morrison's shot over the bar and save a Lawrence header, before the Rams saw a penalty appeal correctly waved away when Malcolm Ebiowei went to ground too easily following a good run into the box.
The Sky Blues opened the scoring on 28 minutes when Godden found O'Hare before excellently latching on to his return headed pass to fire into the corner of the net.
Derby came out with renewed vigour in the second half and were given the chance to equalise when Lawrence went down under Sheaf's challenge, when there appeared to be minimal contact.
Coventry's Gustavo Hamer was booked for his protests but Lawrence kept his composure with a fine spot-kick into the roof of the net, giving Moore no chance.
Substitute Gyokeres spurned two great chances to win the game for the Sky Blues, blazing over the bar when through on goal and then seeing a second chance saved well by Allsop's boot.
Lawrence and Ebiowei forced Moore into saves from free-kicks before Sibley hit the post with the last chance of the game as Derby moved to within five points of safety.
Derby manager Wayne Rooney:
"I thought the performance was very good, we certainly deserved a point, probably three but I think it's a big important point for us.
"I think the referee had to give us one penalty out of the three we should have had. I told the referee after the game 'that's not good enough', the one on Lee Buchanan is a clear penalty.
"The referee might walk in off the pitch and think 'I've done a good job, I've given a penalty which was a penalty' but, actually, there are two clear penalties which he's missed.
"I don't like sitting here and going on but when they are so clear it's frustrating."
Coventry manager Mark Robins:
"I thought we started off OK. We got on the front foot a little bit more after the first 10 or 15 minutes and switched the play which gave us a foothold and led to a really good goal.
"Getting to half-time at 1-0 was good knowing they've got fresh legs and have had a day more to recover which always makes a difference so coming into the second half was always a stretch.
"I think the penalty was harsh, I really do, I think it was a little bit searching for the leg. But then the penalty is a brilliant penalty, no keeper in the world is saving it.
"And then we had a chance to win the game but I think a point here, in the circumstances, is a good one."