Derby missed out on the chance to go top of the Championship as they were forced to come from two goals down to earn a point in a pulsating 3-3 draw with Rotherham at New York Stadium.
The Rams, who would have gone above Bournemouth with a win, were staring down the barrel after 60 minutes as the Millers put in a rousing performance and led 3-1 thanks to quickfire second-half goals from Richie Smallwood and Matt Derbyshire.
But there was an air of inevitably about the comeback as soon as Tom Ince grabbed his second goal of the game and Derby's dominance eventually paid off with seven minutes remaining as Darren Bent continued his hot-streak by poking home his sixth goal in six games.
It was harsh on Rotherham, who initially led in the first half through Paul Green's opener and were good value for the potential upset, and the fact they are the first team to score three against Steve McClaren's men since August will be little consolation in their battle against relegation.
Wigan, meanwhile, boosted their own battle against relegation by securing only their second win in 18 matches with a 1-0 victory at FA Cup quarterfinalists Reading.
Although Wigan were second best for much of a scrappy contest, they claimed the much-needed three points thanks to a close-range effort from debutant defender Jason Pearce in the 17th minute.
The Latics started the evening second-bottom in the Championship and nine points from safety, and even survived 11 minutes of stoppage time to secure victory.
Rudy Gestede struck a late equaliser against former club Cardiff to earn Blackburn a 1-1 draw at Cardiff City Stadium.
Sean Morrison's 84th-minute header looked set to give Cardiff a first win in seven games and ease some of the pressure on manager Russell Slade.
But Gestede, sold for just 200,000 pounds by the Bluebirds in January 2014, kept Rovers' hopes of a late playoff charge alive when he converted his 15th goal of the season in the 90th minute.
It moves Gary Bowyer's men to within 10 points of the top six, although they never threatened to repeat their FA Cup heroics against a much-improved home side.