Boss Steve Cooper was full of praise for “diamond” Ryan Yates as the midfielder rescued a 1-1 draw for Nottingham Forest with a dramatic late equaliser.
The Reds deserved more than the point against Sheffield United, having dominated for much of the evening at Bramall Lane.
It had looked as though they would be left to rue a string of missed chances after Billy Sharp had netted against the run of play with 20 minutes to go.
But Forest once again showed their fighting spirit and Yates headed in right at the death to ensure the visitors claimed a share of the spoils.
“I can’t speak highly enough of him. He’s just an absolute diamond of a lad. He’ll do anything for the football club and anything for the team,” Cooper said of the midfielder.
“He’s one of the most selfless players I’ve ever worked with.
“I’m not surprised that he’s the one who got on the end of that ball, because he will do anything for this football club.
“I meant to say after the last game, but one of the highlights against Bristol City was when he came on and the crowd sang his name. I think we’re really starting to appreciate what he brings now, which is great.”
It had been a terrific display by the visitors against one of their rivals for a top-six spot, with some good opportunities for Brennan Johnson, Keinan Davis and Philip Zinckernagel.
Johnson had also had a penalty saved just past the half hour mark, while Steve Cook rattled the crossbar with a header after the break.
The result leaves the Reds two points below the play-off spots, with their opponents having climbed into the top six.
“I thought we were excellent. I’m proud of the performance, just disappointed we didn’t win,” Cooper said.
“It’s always a really tough game, coming here, but with that performance we should have won the game comfortably.
“And then you’re more than half-pleased that we managed to get something out of the game in the end. It would have been criminal if we’d lost that game, with the way we played.
“We were by far the superior team. Some of the individual performances were great, and tactically we were excellent.
“We looked like the home team. Our fans certainly made it feel like that as well.
“I’ll probably wake up in the morning and feel disappointed we haven’t won. But I’m feeling really proud of the performance.
“To come here and play like that, against a team with one of the strongest squads in the league - to completely dominate like we did - bodes well for what we’re trying to create and what we’re trying to do.
“I’m never one for getting too excited about drawing a match, because we’re trying to create a real winning mentality at our club. But at the same time, you’ve got to say we were excellent tonight. We were by far superior in every aspect of the game.”
