A dramatic injury-time leveller from unsettled Derby midfielder Craig Burley denied Leicester City east midlands bragging rights and ensured honours ended even in the battle of the veteran comeback 'kids'.

Brian Deane's scrambled goal in his first match after a month out with a broken jaw appeared to have secured three vital promotion points for the Foxes.

But with the clock ticking towards 92 minutes, Burley - recalled to the side after making his peace with boss John Gregory - came up with the sweetest of chipped finishes to send the Pride Park fans into raptures.

It was a classic Leicester City set-piece goal that gave Micky Adams' second-placed team the advantage after 26 minutes of an entertaining first half.

Muzzy Izzet sent over an inswinging corner, Matt Elliott's towering header deflected off team-mate Jamie Scowcroft and Deane bundled the ball home from all of six inches.

It looked as if the striker had stolen Burley's thunder, with the midfielder having volleyed a one-on-one straight at Ian Walker moments earlier - but an open match would ensure a second bite of the cherry for the former Scottish international.

Downward headers by Trevor Benjamin and Fabrizio Ravanelli were both well saved in the opening exchanges of a full-blooded encounter which saw Frank Sinclair lucky to stay on the pitch after a 23rd minute elbow on Paul Boertien.

After the break there was no let-up in the teams' attacking intentions, as two more Benjamin headers and an almighty goalmouth scramble, featuring half a dozen desperate lunges, almost resulted in a second for Leicester.

Ravanelli was sharp enough to get a toe to substitute Nick Chadwick's near-post cross, only to see his effort turned around for a corner by the shins of the well-positioned Walker.

Just as all hope appeared to be lost for the Rams Chadwick won a crucial backward header to flat-foot the Leicester defence.

Ravanelli moved the ball on to the unmarked Burley and the man who appeared to be on his way out of Pride Park chipped the ball over Walker after the keeper had gone to ground.

Teams

Derby: Grant, Jackson, Elliott, Mills, Boertien, Bolder, Lee, Burley, Kinkladze (Chadwick 58), Morris, Ravanelli.

Subs Not Used: Camp, Zavagno, Murray, Tudgay.

Goals: Burley 90.

Leicester: Walker, Sinclair, Elliott, Taggart, Rogers, Scowcroft, Izzet, Benjamin, Stewart, Dickov, Deane (Summerbee 75).

Subs Not Used: Flowers, Impey, Oakes, Stevenson.

Booked: Sinclair.

Goals: Deane 26.

Att: 24,307

Ref: A D'Urso (Essex).