The pick of the games on matchday 20 of the Championship season was a battle between two promotion hopefuls as Derby County hosted leaders Brighton & Hove Albion at the iPro Stadium.
The Seagulls entered the match as the only remaining unbeaten team in the Football League and that record still stands after an entertaining 2-2 draw.
It was an end-to-end contest and you can read all about it with Sports Mole's minute-by-minute updates below.
Afternoon folks! The feature 3pm kickoff this weekend in the Championship should be an absolute corker as high-flying duo Derby and Brighton meet at the iPro Stadium. Team news on the way...
DERBY XI: Grant, Christie, Keogh, Shackell, Warnock; Johnson, Butterfield, Thorne; Ince, Weimann; Martin;
Subs: Mitchell, Hendrick, Bent, Russell, Baird, Pearce, Shotton
Subs: Mitchell, Hendrick, Bent, Russell, Baird, Pearce, Shotton
Unsurprisingly, Paul Clement names an unchanged side. The Rams have suffered just one defeat in 14 and conceded only one goal in the last six matches.
BRIGHTON XI: Stockdale, Bruno, Dunk, Greer, Calderon, March, Kayal, Stephens, Murphy, Wilson, Hemed
Subs: Maenpaa, Chicksen, Huenemeier, Ince, van La Parra, Zamora, Manu
Subs: Maenpaa, Chicksen, Huenemeier, Ince, van La Parra, Zamora, Manu
Chris Hughton makes just one change to his Seagulls lineup and it comes in attack, with Tomer Hemed getting the nod over Bobby Zamora.
I can understand Hughton's thinking here. Hemed is a bit more active and likely to cause the Rams' tough-to-break-down defence more problems than Zamora. Hemed also scored the late winner against Charlton last week.
Speaking of that win, it was an incredible fightback by Brighton as they came back from 2-0 down to win 3-2 with goals in the last 10 minutes from both Zamora and Hemed. It put them two clear at the top and still unbeaten after 19 league games this season (11 wins, eight draws). Some achievement for a side that was stuck in the bottom half much of last season.
STAT: Brighton have equalled QPR's 19 games unbeaten from the start of a Championship season (since 2004-05) in 2010-11. Can they set a new mark today by avoiding defeat?
So Brighton are a tough nut to crack, but if one team are going to defeat the Seagulls, it might just be Derby, especially at home. The Rams are unbeaten in six games at the iPro Stadium, winning their last five in a row.
H2H: Derby have been victorious in five of their last six matches (inc. playoffs) against Brighton (L1). The Seagulls have also failed to score in their last three league (exc. play-offs) visits to Derby (D1 L2).
Here are the other games in the Football League this afternoon:
Here come the two teams out of the tunnel. Derby often have the biggest attendance in the league and it's a packed house today for this early Christmas cracker. Black and white flags everywhere trying to intimidate the visitors.
PREDICTION: OK then, with kickoff moments away, here's how I see it going. Brighton's run could certainly come to an end today - it's probably their toughest test yet and I reckon the Rams will win 3-1. If Brighton win then it will be have to be some away display.
KICKOFF! We're underway at the iPro Stadium, with Brighton in their all-neon green away kit.
Great start by Derby as Martin gets in behind and then tees up Ince, whose snapshot is deflected up and away for a corner.
CHANCE! Brighton threaten as March fires a shot wide from the edge of the box after he was found by Hemed. Exciting start to what should be an excellent game of footy.
Keogh breaks forward from defence for Derby and finds Warnock on the left. His cross is towards Martin and almost falls kindly for the striker, but Brighton survive.
Not long after Johnson fired wide from distance for Derby, Hemed's shot at the other end and takes a deflection and loops out for a corner. Frenetic pace to the match and end-to-end action galore!
Worrying signs here for Brighton as March, recently nominated for the November Player of the Month, pulls up with a leg injury of some sort. Derby will have a free kick in a good position when treatment is over after Bruno took out Martin.
OFF THE LINE! Shackell's header is going in until Hemed, the Brighton striker, reacts to clear the ball off the line.
SHOT! Ince tries his luck from range and it's a good hit, but too straight and Stockdale makes a comfortable save.
It seems that March is OK after that injury a few moments ago. He's back on the pitch and seems to be trotting around untroubled.
Hmmmmm. Calderon is angry with Ince for seemingly arrowing an elbow into his face. There is blood coming from the Brighton full-back's mouth, but replays show there was little, if any intent at all, from the Derby man.
Free kick to Brighton left of centre about 25 yards out after Thorne upended Hemed. It'll be Stephens to take...
The Seagulls don't shoot, instead trying an inventive routine with March juggling it up and looping over the wall for Murphy. A nice idea, but the lob is underhit and Derby clear.
Screams for a penalty from the home supporters as Martin is shoved over off the ball in the box. Today's referee is Lee Mason and he's not interested at all.
GOAL! DERBY 0-1 BRIGHTON (JAMES WILSON)
Manchester United loanee Wilson, a week after scoring a fabulous solo effort against Charlton, puts Brighton in front with a stabbed volley finish after meeting Murphy's cross from the left. The Seagulls are shooting towards their travelling faithful in the first half and their players celebrate in front of the jubilant away end.
It was always going to be an astute signing.
My 3-1 pre-match prediction is still possible, but it's going to take a huge turnaround from Derby now. Remember, the Rams had only conceded once in their previous six matches.
March is down again for Brighton, seemingly suffering from his earlier injury. The paramedics are on with the stretcher and he definitely won't be able to carry on.
BRIGHTON SUB: A big blow for the Seagulls and Wolves loanee Rajiv van La Parra is on to replace the youngster.
SHOT! Slack defending from Derby as they give the ball back to Brighton. It rolls Murphy's way and he shoots first time, but straight at Grant.
BOOKING! Derby midfielder Johnson earns the first yellow card of the game for flying in on Stephens. Not much contact, but a rash lunge.
BOOKING! Hemed quickly follows Johnson into the book after a foul on Shackell.
Half an hour gone then and huge credit must go to Brighton for the way they've gone about things. They were a bit shaky at the start and it looked like Derby would be the first to score, but the Seagulls rode the storm and began to play some good stuff before taking the lead through Wilson.
SHOT! Johnson stings the palms of Stockdale with a fiercely-struck effort from 25 yards that the Brighton keeper tips over.
From the resulting corner Johnson is involved again, this time rising to meet Ince's delivery and heading over.
Brighton counter quickly down the other end and waste a really good chance as Van La Parra's pass is cut out by Thorne. The substitute had plenty of options, maybe too many, and made a pig's ear of that.
CLOSE! Goodness me, Dunk is inches away from scoring an own goal as his interception bobbles just wide.
GOAL! DERBY 1-1 BRIGHTON (BRADLEY JOHNSON)
He's not the tallest, but that's a mighty header from Johnson as he powers home from Butterfield's corner. All square again.
CLOSE! Derby well on top now as half time approaches and they threaten again as Ince's shot is almost diverted home by Weimann. Brighton need to get to half time still level.
SHOT! Johnson in the thick of it again, this time shooting wide with his right foot after a neat one-two with Martin.
Four minutes of added time because of the two injury stoppages.
Wilson surges forward on the break for Brighton, but he's crowded out before he can pick a pass or take a shot.
SHOT! Wilson has the ball in the box and the angle's tight, but the confident youngster whacks it goalwards. Plenty of power, but he can't wrap his foot fully around it and it flies wide.
HALF-TIME: DERBY 1-1 BRIGHTON
All square at the break then and it's been a great half of football. Derby started the better, but league leaders Brighton soon came into it and took the lead through Wilson, his second goal in two games. The Seagulls could have doubled their lead but then Derby ended the half well on top and got the equaliser through Johnson.
Derby have had 12 shots to Brighton's five and got five of them on target. That makes good reading, but you would probably say that a draw is a fair scoreline at the break.
As it stands in the Championship, Brighton are still two clear at the top with Middlesbrough also drawing at home to Birmingham. Derby are down to fourth, though, with Hull one up on troubled bottom side Bolton.
And the other half-time scores from the Football League:
Teams back out for the second half and no changes from either side at the break.
KICKOFF! Back underway. A reminder that Brighton were forced into a first-half change when March went off injured and was replaced by Van La Parra.
And here is Van La Parra in the thick of it inside a minute at the start of the second 45 as his shot is deflected out for a corner, which Derby deal with.
CLOSE! At the other end, Ince's shot is similarly deflected just wide, but somehow the officials give a goal kick. Bemused faces all round.
No bookings in the second half, but Derby goalscorer Johnson and Brighton striker Hemed were yellow-carded in the first period.
Another curler from Ince, this time it's a good yard wide and Stockdale knew that, safely watching go past the post.
Apart from a couple of speculative efforts, there hasn't been much to speak of so far in the second half. Of the two teams, Brighton would definitely be happier with a point and they look fairly comfortable right now.
Martin is taken out in a great position for Derby to have a shot at goal, but Ince's attempt is straight into the wall.
STAT: Brighton have not lost a league game since February 7 when they've taken the lead (W13 D5).
If the Seagulls win today, they will also match their away-win total for the whole of last season with four.
DERBY SUB: First change for the home side, with Johnny Russell on for Weimann, who has been quiet today.
Well, it's been a little disappointing in the second half, this match. It started brilliantly and the first half was great to watch, but you get the feeling that both sides are wary of losing here.
The Man Utd youngster has been impressive and his goal was a fine finish.
BLOCK! Brave defending from Shackell as he throws himself in front of Hemed to deny the Israeli striker's ferocious volley heading goalwards. He really hit that.
DERBY SUB: A change in midfield, with Jeff Hendrick on for Butterfield.
GOAL! DERBY 1-2 BRIGHTON (RAJIV VAN LA PARRA)
It looks like the unbeaten start will reach 20 games! Van La Parra scores his first Brighton goal and what a finish it is as he curls home from the right of the box after Stephens found him with a clever pass.
A crowd of 30,537 is watching today's game, of which 1,311 are delighted Brighton supporters.
DERBY SUB: Third and final change for the hosts and unsurprisingly Darren Bent is on for George Thorne.
SAVE! Russell storms down the left and lashes at goal. Stockdale keeps it out, but the Scot maybe should have looked for Bent or Ince in the middle.
BRIGHTON SUBS: Hughton makes a pair of changes. Off go Wilson and Hemed, with Zamora and Ince on in their place.
CHANCE! What a tackle! Martin latched onto a short backpass and although he was denied by Stockdale, the ball seemed to break for a tap-in, but Dunk raced in to deny the winger a free shot into an empty net.
PENALTY TO DERBY!
GOAL! DERBY 2-2 BRIGHTON (CHRIS MARTIN, PEN.)
Martin sticks it away from 12 yards after Greer was adjudged to have brought down Russell in the box. Derby come back again! Can they now win it?
Martin has now been involved in 12 Derby goals this season.
FIVE minute added on at the iPro.
Zamora has scored a couple of late goals already this season and it looks like he's about to do it again before Shackell slides in to deny him at the last moment.
FULL-TIME: DERBY 2-2 BRIGHTON
Twenty-one league games unbeaten for Brighton if you include the last game of last season. What a run from Chris Hughton's men.
Brighton would be down in second if Middlesbrough had beaten Birmingham, but Aitor Karanka's side could only draw at home. Derby drop to fourth, level on points with third-placed Hull. Click here to see the table.
That's all we've got time for here today. I'll leave you with our match report and kindly ask you to have a good click around and read about the rest of the day's action. Enjoy the rest of your weekend, folks!
