It looked destined for a draw until the fourth minute of stoppage time, when a scrambled corner fell kindly at the edge of the box and was drilled first-time into the roof of the net. The home end erupted, flares lit up the away corner in protest, and the referee's whistle moments later confirmed what the scoreboard already showed: bragging rights, and three vital points, were staying put.
Both sides had chances to settle it earlier. A well-worked move just after the half-hour mark should have opened the scoring, but a smart save at the near post kept things level. The visitors then dominated a ten-minute spell after the break, hitting the crossbar twice in as many minutes, before the game settled into the kind of nervy, error-strewn derby familiar to anyone who has followed this fixture over the years.
The result keeps the gap at the top to a single point with six rounds remaining, and sets up a run-in that now looks set to go down to the final day. Managers on both sides were cautious in their post-match comments, focused more on fitness concerns ahead of a congested schedule than on the title picture itself.
Attention now turns to next weekend's away trip, a fixture that has produced just one home win in the last five meetings. A returning captain, expected back from a minor knock, would be a timely boost for a squad already stretched thin across three competitions.