May 2, 2016 at 2.30pm UK at ​Falmer Stadium
BrightonBrighton & Hove Albion
1-1
DerbyDerby County
Wilson (94')
Dunk (42')
Dunk (83')
FT(HT: 0-0)
Weimann (70')
Thorne (38'), Ince (63'), Christie (72')

Result: James Wilson salvages dramatic late draw for Brighton in promotion race

James Wilson earns Brighton & Hove Albion a dramatic late 1-1 draw with Derby County to keep automatic promotion hopes alive.

James Wilson scored in the 94th minute to earn a dramatic 1-1 draw for 10-man Brighton & Hove Albion in their crucial Championship clash against Derby County this afternoon.

It looked as though the Rams were going to cause an upset at The Amex as the clock ticked down following Andreas Weimann's second-half goal, but Wilson struck in the fourth minute of stoppage time.

The result means that the winner of next weekend's clash between Brighton and Middlesbrough will earn automatic promotion to the Premier League.

James Wilson of Brighton & Hove Albion takes a shot on goal under pressure from Marcus Olsson of Derby County on May 2, 2016© Getty Images

The Seagulls began on the front foot when Beram Kayal picked the ball up on the edge of the area before unleashing a low shot, which trickled just wide of the post.

Derby responded with a counter-attack when Craig Bryson lofted the ball forward for Tom Ince, who aimed from close range, but the winger ended up smashing the ball into the side-netting.

At the other end, Anthony Knockaert came close to opening the scoring after a quarter of an hour of play, but Jason Shackell intercepted the shot, which was heading into the net.

The home side continued to knock on the door, and were denied a first-half penalty when Sam Baldock went to ground after turning away from George Thorne, but the referee waved away his claims.

Brighton were a constant threat, but Derby were dangerous on the counter and they came close to taking the lead with a scrambled effort when Thorne aimed for goal after collecting the ball from a corner kick, but it was cleared off the line by Dale Stephens.

After the break, Derby had the earliest chance when Will Hughes laid the ball off to Ince, who fired from the edge of the box, but a deflection slowed down the pace of the ball and it was taken by the goalkeeper.

Brighton responded down the other end from a free kick, but Tomer Hemed's close-range header was kept out, and seconds later, Lewis Dunk's attempt drifted over the crossbar.

The hosts tried their luck on the break, which ended with them appealing for a penalty after Knockaert went to ground following a challenge from Thorne, but once again, the referee was not interested.

Kazenga LuaLua almost made an instant impact when he came off the substitutes' bench as he aimed a volley at goal from 25 yards out, but goalkeeper Scott Carson managed to grab the ball.

Another substitute, this time for Derby, had a decent opportunity as well, and unlike his opponent, he managed to find the back of the net.

Andreas Weimann met the end of Hughes's pass and his first shot was saved by David Stockdale, but the keeper could only parry the ball back into the path of the forward, who buried it on the rebound.

Matters became worse for Brighton when Dunk was sent off after receiving a second yellow card for a poor challenge on Bryson, meaning that the defender will be out of next week's must-win game over Middlesbrough.

The dramatic moment came four minutes into stoppage time when Wilson, who is on loan with the Seagulls from Manchester United, lashed a shot into the back of the net after Derby failed to clear their lines from a corner kick.

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Tables
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
CBurnley462615572353793
3Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton462417572423089
4Hull City4624111169353483
5Derby CountyDerby4621151066432378
6Sheffield WednesdaySheff Weds4619171066452174
7Ipswich TownIpswich461815135351269
8Cardiff CityCardiff461717125651568
9Brentford46198197267565
10Birmingham CityBirmingham461615155349463
11Preston North EndPreston461517144545062
12Queens Park RangersQPR461418145454060
13Leeds UnitedLeeds461417155058-859
14Wolverhampton WanderersWolves461416165358-558
15Blackburn RoversBlackburn461316174646055
16Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest461316174347-455
17Reading461313205259-752
18Bristol City461313205471-1752
19Huddersfield TownHuddersfield461312215970-1151
20Fulham461215196679-1351
21Rotherham UnitedRotherham461310235371-1849
RCharlton AthleticCharlton46913244080-4040
RMK Dons46912253969-3039
RBolton WanderersBolton46515264181-4030