Stockport County 1-1 Cardiff City: Salech nets dramatic 97th-minute equaliser to keep unbeaten run going

Cardiff City snatched a dramatic point at Edgeley Park as Yousef Salech struck deep into stoppage time to deny Stockport County victory.

Brian Barry-Murphy’s men had been second best for long spells and looked destined for their first defeat of the season after Oliver Norwood’s first-half penalty.

In truth, they probably should have lost. They were second best and the Hatters' defence was colossal, but for one, crucial moment seconds before the final whistle.

But it's not the first time Cardiff have wrestled a point or three against the run of play and it speaks to how much momentum might count for in this long season. Seven games down, zero in the loss column still.

The Bluebirds struggled to impose themselves on the contest as the hosts seized the initiative early on. Stockport pinned Barry-Murphy's side inside their own half for much of the opening exchanges, with Jack Diamond and Benony Breki Andresson causing particular problems.

Cardiff had their goalkeeper Nathan Trott to thank for keeping them in the game on the half-hour mark, producing a superb reflex stop to deny Andresson’s close-range header. Just minutes before, the Hatters man had clattered the post with a left-footed shot.

Not long after Trott's wonder-save, Perry Ng was adjudged to have bundled over the Icelandic winger inside the box. Despite Cardiff protests, the referee pointed to the spot and Norwood calmly converted from 12 yards to put Stockport ahead.

The visitors carved out very few chances in attack. Defensively, meanwhile, they looked shaky, with Joseph Olowu twice volleying over from set-pieces and Cardiff relying on last-ditch interventions from Ryan Wintle and Joel Bagan to keep the scoreline down.

By half-time, City were second-best and