Derby County have survived on a thrilling final day of the 2020-21 Championship season, with Sheffield Wednesday, Rotherham United and Wycombe Wanderers suffering relegation to League One.
Derby's fate was firmly in their own hands heading into the final day, boasting a two-point lead over Rotherham and three-point advantages over Sheffield Wednesday and Wycombe, the latter of whom needed a huge turnaround in goal difference as well as other results to go their way if they were to stay up.
However, Derby's final game came against Sheffield Wednesday, and a topsy-turvy afternoon saw the two sides play out an action-packed 3-3 draw at Pride Park.
The Rams trailed at half time - at which point Rotherham were above the dotted line due to their lead over Cardiff City - but turned things around quickly at the start of the second half to take a 2-1 lead.
Wednesday then fought back with two goals of their own to restore their lead, which would have sent both clubs down with Rotherham still ahead in South Wales.
However, an 88th-minute equaliser by Marlon Pack for Cardiff, after numerous missed chances for Rotherham, condemned the Millers to a heartbreaking relegation, leaving survival as a straight shootout between Derby and Sheffield Wednesday.
An injury in the first half meant that full time was delayed in that game, with the score locked at 3-3 going into six minutes of stoppage time and a goal for Wednesday at that stage being enough to keep them in the division at Derby's expense.
However, the Owls were unable to respond after Martyn Waghorn's 78th-minute equaliser from the penalty spot, with a point enough to keep Wayne Rooney's Derby in the Championship as Sheffield Wednesday joined Rotherham and Wycombe in suffering relegation.
Wycombe, for their part, cruised to a 3-0 win away at Middlesbrough, but still fell some way short of the goal difference swing they needed to survive.
The Chairboys do end the season in 22nd place, just one point off safety, with Rotherham finishing in 23rd on 42 points and Wednesday propping up the rest of the league on 41 points.
Barney Corkhill
