Derby County fought from behind twice to earn their first point of the Championship season in an entertaining draw against Cardiff City.

Bobby Clark thumped past Nathan Trott early in the second half for the Rams at Pride Park.

Goals from Cian Ashford and Yousef Salech either side of a Carlton Morris strike earned Cardiff a 2-1 lead at the break.

The draw means both clubs are still searching for their first win of the Championship season, although promoted Cardiff did progress in the Carabao Cup.

Defensive injury concerns meant the Bluebirds were without a recognised centre-back in their starting line-up, forcing full-backs Perry Ng and Joel Bagan to fill in.

Cardiff's patched-up defence was put under early pressure from a Derby attack without the injured Sammie Szmodics, and Bagan was forced to clear off the line inside three minutes.

But it was the Bluebirds who took the lead against the run of play when Ashford slotted past Monza-linked Rams keeper Jacob Widell Zetterström.

Cardiff's lead did not last long. Morris, the Rams' top goalscorer last season, raced onto a long ball and overpowered Ng before drawing the hosts within seven minutes.

The visitors were back in front before the break thanks to Salech, who made no mistake to score his third of the campaign after being teed up by a selfless Rubin Colwill.

Undeterred, Derby responded once again and levelled for a second time within three minutes of the restart through a thunderous Clark effort from the edge of the box.

Cardiff supporters may have feared the worst when Brian Barry-Murphy was forced to name a line-up without a recognised centre-back after Gabriel Osho joined their growing list of defensive injuries.

While the Bluebirds will be pleased to earn a draw under the circumstances, their defensive woes were brought into focus by the goals Derby scored.

Morris overpowered Ng, who was forced to cover at centre-back, to pull the Rams level, and Clarke was afforded enough space in a central area to rattle home a second equaliser.

Naming two goalkeepers and two teenagers on the bench further highlighted the lack of options available at Cardiff, who will hope to add fresh faces before the transfer window closes next month.

Derby fans will be frustrated as they await a first win of the season - the Rams could have been two goals up within three minutes after a fast start but struggled to create clear-cut chances.

John Eustace's side will look to kickstart their campaign when they host Cardiff's rivals Swansea City on Saturday, 29 August (12:30 BST).