Horatio Carbonari was Derby's saviour as Pierre van Hooijdonk was denied a City Ground winner. Nottingham Forest were on course for their first Premiership win since August 29th when van Hooijdonk headed his side into a 62nd-minute lead.
But 10 minutes later, Carbonari found himself with the ball at his feet six yards out after Paulo Wanchope's shot had been blocked and the £2.7 million defender calmly slotted the ball past Dave Beasant.
Russell Hoult was by far the busier goalkeeper in the first-half, but Derby somehow managed to keep Forest at bay until half-time.
Derby then took the lead on 56 minutes. Substitute Dean Sturridge ran 30 yards before he was upended by Thierry Bonalair in the Forest box. Referee Graham Barber had no hesitation in pointing to the spot and Tony Dorigo grabbed his first goal for Derby.
Forest looked like they might pay for not making the most of their first-half ascendancy into goals, but they stunned Derby with two goals in six minutes.
Dougie Freedman seized on Nigel Quashie's blocked drive and after seeing his first effort parried by Hoult, he reacted quickest and fired the rebound home.
Then, after Quashie had seen another long-range drive deflected over, Scot Gemmill's near-post corner was nodded home by van Hooijdonk.
Nottm Forest: Beasant, Rogers, Quashie, Chettle, Stone, Gemmill, Bart-Williams, Freedman (Harewood 78), Armstrong, Bonalair, Van Hooijdonk. Subs Not Used: Hjelde, Shipperley, Crossley, Gray. Booked: Bart-Williams, Rogers, Bonalair. Goals: Freedman 57, Van Hooijdonk 62.
Derby: Hoult (Poom 69), Carbonari, Powell, Dorigo, Wanchope, Harper (Sturridge 40), Laursen, Bohinen, Prior, Elliot, Burton. Subs Not Used: Bridge-Wilkinson, Eranio, Baiano. Goals: Dorigo 56 pen, Carbonari 72. Att: 24,014.
Referee: G Barber (Surrey).
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