DERBY County went into the international break with a frustrating 0-0 draw at home to Millwall.
With Norwich City and Watford also drawing - and Nottingham Forest not in action on Saturday - a win would have taken the Rams top of the Championship table.
However, in the end, they probably did not do enough to earn all three points and Millwall deserved something from the game.
On the plus side, fourth-placed Derby are now unbeaten in 10 matches in all competitions and have kept four clean sheets in a row.
They also remain unbeaten on their own patch since Millwall beat them in March.
Derby were quick out the blocks but Jamie Ward was off target with two efforts inside the first three minutes.
In the ninth minute, Lee Gregory's goalbound shot was blocked by Zak Whitbread after good work from left-back Matthew Briggs.
Millwall felt they should have had a penalty from the resulting corner when Cyrus Christie appeared to push Gregory but the appeals fell on deaf ears.
Aiden O'Brien was then released over the top by Richard Chaplow but Craig Forsyth got back well to ease him off the ball.
The Lions broke from a Derby corner in the 21st minute but Gregory fired straight at Lee Grant after being freed by Chaplow.
Jordon Ibe beat two men on the left and centred for Forsyth, who could not quite take the ball in his stride.
It was end-to-end at this point and Briggs shot narrowly wide through a crowd of players following a half-cleared Millwall corner.
Ward's 20-yard curler forced David Forde into a good save, diving to his left.
Forde was then at the centre of a controversial flashpoint after 29 minutes.
Ibe went down in the box under a challenge from the keeper but rather than award a penalty, the referee booked the Derby man for diving.
A melee ensued between several members of each side, which resulted in Chris Martin and Forde being booked.
There was another sight of goal for Gregory in the 35th minute but, again, his shot from 20 yards was straight at Grant.
Derby started the second half brightly, with Ward's low cross put behind by Alan Dunne, with Ibe ready to pounce.
Ibe then dragged a shot wide from 20 yards after cutting in from the left.
Jeff Hendrick, Leon Best and Johnny Russell were all introduced relatively early, with John Eustace, Ward and Ibe replaced.
Just before he went off, Ibe was picked out in the box by Will Hughes but delayed his shot too long, allowing defender to get back and clear the danger.
After 73 minutes, following good work by Craig Bryson and Martin, Russell's low cross from the left just evaded Best in the middle.
Millwall got plenty of men behind the ball but, on a rare foray forward, Scott McDonald saw a shot blocked before sending a 30-yard drive bouncing not too far wide in the 81st minute.
And in the second minute of added time, Derby needed a superb block from skipper Richard Keogh to keep out Martyn Woolford's shot.
At the other end, McDonald did likewise to charge down an effort from Russell - and there was to be no way through on this occasion.
DERBY COUNTY: Grant, Christie, Keogh, Whitbread, Forsyth, Eustace (Hendrick, 59), Hughes, Bryson, Ward (Best, 59), Ibe (Russell, 65), Martin. Other subs: Mitchell (gk), Shotton, Mascarell, Calero.
MILLWALL: Forde, Dunne, Webster, Williams, Briggs, Chaplow, Abdou (Upson, 82), McDonald, Woolford, O'Brien (Malone, 68), Gregory (Fuller, 75). Other subs: King (gk), Shittu, Beevers, Powell.
REFEREE: M Haywood (West Yorkshire).
ATTENDANCE: 27,749.
