Derby County moved to 13 games unbeaten in all competitions after a hard-fought 0-0 draw with top six rivals, Bolton Wanderers.
Both sides had chances to win the games on the day with the Rams edging the all-round play, but neither were able to find the all important breakthrough.
The result means the Rams move back into sixth place in Sky Bet League One with Bolton one place and one point above in fifth.
With the largest attendance at the University of Bolton Stadium for over a decade, there was a raucous atmosphere and it spurred the home side on to a positive start.
Dion Charles's teasing cross was put behind by Eiran Cashin before the resulting corner caught everyone out and Jack Iredale's goal-bound effort was blocked by his own man.
The Rams had a big shout for a penalty turned down when Tom Barkhuizen looked to have been clattered in the box. The winger got in behind the Bolton defence before being taken out by Conor Bradley but the referee was unmoved by the protests.
Bradley then dragged an effort wide up the other end whilst the Trotters' keeper nearly let the Rams in when he parried a Louie Sibley cross into a dangerous area but it fell favourably to a man in a white shirt to clear.
It was Sibley's cross just prior to the break that nearly gave Paul Warne's side the lead, too. His low ball took a wicked deflection off a Bolton defender and looped over James Trafford but fortunately for the hosts, landed on top of the crossbar before dropping out for a corner.
Bolton started the better after the restart and Will Aimson saw his headed effort go wide from an early corner.
Dion Charles then spurned the best chance of the game up to that point just prior to the hour mark. Nice interplay between him and Kieran Lee saw Charles wriggle free in the box but his effort went wide of Joe Wildsmith's right-hand post.
The Rams' best chance followed soon after when James Collins saw a diving header go just over the top from a pin-point Conor Hourihane delivery.
That combination was at it again minutes later. This time, Derby were able to nick the ball in the middle of the park and work it out wide to Hourihane who whipped a delightful ball in but Collins' effort could only find the side netting.
Warne's men were really upping the ante as the game progressed and were again denied by a bit of good fortune from a Bolton perspective. Nathaniel Mendez-Laing and Korey Smith worked it brilliantly down the right before the latter crossed to substitute Lewis Dobbin who was inches away from prodding home the opener.
As the game entered four minutes of additional time, the Rams nearly won it with a last gasp set-piece. Hourihane's corner found Jason Knight free in the middle of the box but the Irishman could only head over from 10-yards out.
Attendance: 25,428 (5,153 Derby County fans)
Bolton Wanderers: Trafford (GK), Lee (C) (67' Williams), Afolayan (85' Bodvarsson), Johnston, Sheehan (67' Dempsey), Bradley, Charles (79' Kachunga), Aimson, Iredale, Morley (79' Bakayoko), Toal
Substitutes not used: Sadlier, Beck
Derby County: Wildsmith (GK), Forsyth, Hourihane, Cashin, Barkhuizen (63' Dobbin), Bird (C), Collins, Mendez-Laing (86' Osula), Smith, Sibley, Knight
Substitutes not used: Loach (GK), Roberts, Thompson, Davies, Stearman
Derby County return to Pride Park on Friday evening when they take on Cambridge United in the final game of 2022 (7:45pm kick-off).
