Martyn Waghorn bagged a brace at bet365 Stadium help Derby County earn a point in a 2-2 draw against Stoke City.

The Rams grabbed an early lead when the striker fired into the roof of the net from close range.

He then levelled the score at 2-2 after goals from Liam Lindsay and Scott Hogan, when he fired in from the penalty spot after George Evans was taken down in the area with 20 minutes left to play.

The draw takes Phillip Cocu’s side to four games unbeaten to start the season and puts them ninth in the Sky Bet Championship table in the early stages of the campaign.

It took just two minutes for Derby to find the back of the net after winning possession back in the centre of the park. The ball made its way out to the left to Scott Malone who crossed into Kieran Dowell.

The midfielder fed through to Waghorn who lashed his effort past Jack Butland into the right corner.

Despite being in control of the game through the opening stages, Derby almost conceded an equaliser by the Potters inside the first ten minutes. James McClean fired in a cross which Sam Clucas got on the end of with his head.

Kelle Roos was there to palm it away, but it fell into the path of Joe Allen on the edge of the six-yard box who rifled his close-range effort into the post.

Dowell was in the midst of the action again minutes later when he flung in a free-kick effort from the right side of the area which Butland batted away. His headed effort was then deflected just wide for a corner.

On the 25-minute mark, Dowell whipped a free-kick into the area to Matt Clarke on the back post, but the defender’s header was a comfortable save for Stoke’s keeper.

The home side found their equaliser just after the half-hour mark after three consecutive corners. The third found Lindsay at the far side of the box and his headed effort took a deflection to get past Kelle Roos.

For the second time in the half, the woodwork felt the wrath of a Potters shot when Tom Ince struck the cross bar from range.

Ten minutes after the restart, Lee Gregory chased down a long ball and crossed into Hogan who fired into the roof of the net to give Stoke the lead.

Just after the hour mark, the Rams went on the attack and Tom Lawrence fed out to Dowell down the right of the area. Dowell drove towards the goal looking to fire past Butland, but the No. 1 made a comfortable stop.

After a delay in the game as the game turned feisty between the two sides, Stoke gave away a free-kick in the Rams’ box. From the free-kick, Derby drove forward, and George Evans received the ball in the area, only to be brought down by Allen.

Waghorn stepped over the penalty spot and confidently struck into the back of the net.

The striker looked to make it a hat-trick as the Rams hit the Potters on the counter attack.

Jack Marriott did well to keep hold of the ball in the centre of the pitch and feed down the Florian Jozefzoon. The winger found Waghorn clean through who looked to chip the keeper, but Butland did brilliantly to get a hand to it.

Stoke came close to stealing an added time victory when substitute Peter Etebo dragged a low effort just wide.

Stoke City: Butland; Smith, Batth (C), Lindsay, McClean; Woods (Etebo, 87); Allen, Clucas; Ince (Collins, 80); Gregory, Hogan (Campbell, 84)

Unused Subs: Federici, Edwards, Vokes, Duffy

Derby County: Roos; Lowe, Keogh (C), Clarke, Malone (Bielik, 45); Evans (Knight, 79), Huddlestone, Dowell; Jozefzoon, Waghorn, Lawrence (Marriott, 72)

Unused Subs: Hamer, Paterson, Bennett, Buchanan