A deflected Pipa strike deep into stoppage time saw Huddersfield Town equalise late on and draw 1-1 with Rotherham United in the Sky Bet Championship.
The Spaniard’s effort cancelled out Ben Wiles’ first half opener to ensure the Terriers took a point from the Yorkshire derby with the Millers at the AESSEAL New York Stadium.
Carlos Corberán made two changes to the XI that produced his first win as the Terriers Head Coach against Nottingham Forest last time out.
Carel Eiting and Naby Sarr were both brought in to make their first Town starts, with the latter making his debut for the Club at the AESSEAL New York Stadium.
With the first month of the season done and dusted, October got underway with a derby day clash under dark clouds and drizzling skies in the south part of the county.
Inside the opening 10 minutes, it was the Terriers who looked to slip into an early lead, having had the better of the chances.
After a neat exchange of play around the edge of the box, Harry Toffolo’s dragged effort zipped along the surface to Isaac Mbenza who kept it in play by dragging the ball back for Fraizer Campbell.
The striker met the ball before seeing his goalbound shot diverted from between the posts by a sliding block from Rotherham’s Angus MacDonald.
Having opened his account with the decisive goal in last weekend’s win over Forest, the forward continued to look in the mood in the early stages, again getting into a dangerous position inside the box but this time but this time the ball didn’t quite come to him from Toffolo on the left.
The Terriers had kept the hosts relatively quiet in the opening 30 minutes as both sides attempted to wrestle the momentum in what was a physical opening to Town’s first Yorkshire derby of the season.
However, shortly after the half-hour mark, the Millers took lead. A corner from the right was cleared to Ben Wiles on the edge of the box who drove his low shot through the crowd of players and into the bottom corner to give the home side the advantage on 33 minutes.
Chances were at a premium in the first half but came more regularly after the break as Town looked to get back on level terms.
Carel Eiting saw his free-kick from just outside the box blocked by the wall, moments before he turned provider for Josh Koroma, finding the forward with an inch-perfect ball over the top but Town’s no.19 couldn’t quite bring it down as the ball slipped off his boot.
As the rain continued to come down heavily on a gloomy afternoon in South Yorkshire, Town were only growing into the game further as they went in search of an equaliser.
The Terriers got numbers into the box to meet Toffolo’s cutback from the left, with the ball falling to Koroma whose effort skewed wide of the target.
Town’s push continued as Eiting and Mbenza both had efforts blocked, shortly before Koroma tried his luck once more, curling just wide of the far post after cutting in from the left.
With time ticking away, Pipa drove forward and crafted out Town’s best chance of the encounter so far.
The full-back was slipped in and fired a fierce effort at goal from a tight angle that was turned behind by Rotherham ‘keeper Jamal Blackman.
With six minutes of time added on, substitute Adama Diakhaby was the latest to get on the end of a Toffolo cross from the left side.
The latter leapt highest to meet the floated ball in, but his effort evaded the goal.
That looked to be the last chance of the encounter, until the ball broke to an advanced Pipa on the edge of the penalty area.
The full-back’s driven shot took a deflection off MacDonald and beat Blackman in the Millers goal to draw Town level in the dying moments of the game, ensuring Carlos Corberán’s side took a well-deserved point from the battle at the AESSEAL New York Stadium.
Next up for Town is a trip to South Wales and the Liberty Stadium to face Swansea City in the Sky Bet Championship after the international break on Saturday 17 October 2020; 3pm kick-off.
ROTHERHAM UNITED (4-4-2)
Jamal Blackman, Joe Mattock, Angus MacDonald, Michael Ihiekwe (c), Wes Harding; Kieran Sadlier, Shaun MacDonald (Jamie Lindsay, 75’), Matt Crooks, Ben Wiles; George Hirst (Michael Smith, 52’), Freddie Ladapo (Kyle Vassell, 70’)
Unused subs
Viktor Johansson; Richard Wood, Mickel Miller, Michael Smith, Dan Barlaser
HUDDERSFIELD TOWN (4-3-3)
Ben Hamer; Harry Toffolo, Naby Sarr, Richard Stearman, Pipa; Jonathan Hogg (c), Carel Eiting, Juninho Bacuna (Matty Daly, 78’); Josh Koroma, Fraizer Campbell, Isaac Mbenza (Adama Diakhaby, 83’)
Unused subs
Joel Pereira; Demeaco Duhaney, Romoney Crichlow, Jaden Brown, Mustapha Olagunju
REFEREE
Andy Woolmer
