Malachi Boateng's late goal earned Plymouth Argyle a draw with rivals Exeter City in a dramatic Devon derby.

Three goals were scored in the final 11 minutes as the Pilgrims twice killed off Exeter's hopes of a first league double over Argyle in a decade.

The point does little to help either side as Argyle aim for a play-off place and Exeter fight relegation from League One.

Plymouth had the better of a goalless first half as Boateng, Owen Oseni and Alex Mitchell all had good chances to score.

Reece Cole gave Exeter the lead less than two minutes into the second half as he turned well before finishing neatly under Conor Hazard from close range.

Lorent Tolaj headed in from close range with 11 minutes left, only forJayden Wareham's deflected effort to get what he thought was an 84th-minute winner.

But Boateng scrambled the ball home from close range five minutes later to secure a point.

A frenetic first 15 minutes provided just one goalscoring chance – Exeter's Ilmari Niskanen almost putting past his own goalkeeper after a devilishly spinning ball deep into the six-yard box.

The visitors tried to hit Argyle on the break, but their final ball was lacking as Niskanen and Carlos Mendes Gomes both wasted good chances to set up Jayden Wareham.

Argyle went close just before the 30-minute mark when Alex Mitchell beat Exeter goalkeeper Jack Bycroft to a Mathias Ross ball from deep, but his header was just wide.

The hosts had two good chances soon after - Exeter had to hack the ball away following a goalmouth scramble as they failed to deal with Jamie Paterson's ball into the box before Tolaj's low shot was palmed away by Bycroft.

Argyle should have been ahead as the first half drew to a close – Boateng's header was weakly fisted away by Bycroft and Oseni failed to convert the follow-up with his head.

Exeter took the lead with their first proper effort of note – Niskanen broke down the right, played in Cole and the City midfielder turned Mitchell superbly before finishing well.

But Exeter's difficulty at defending balls into the penalty area proved to be their undoing – substitute Josh Magennis inexplicably headed a corner that seemed to be going out back across the face of goal for Tolaj to nod in an equaliser.

But five minutes later Exeter's fans were in raptures as Wareham's shot took a deflection from close range close range after Pierce Sweeney's long throw had been put back into the box by Niskanen for City's top scorer to shoot.

Wareham missed a great chance to make it 3-1 moments later and Exeter's fans had not stopped celebrating when Boateng levelled for the Pilgrims. Another ball into the area was not properly cleared and, after a scramble on the goalline, the midfielder was the able to turn it into the net.

Plymouth Argyle head coach Tom Cleverley told BBC Sport:

"I'm sure in a couple of days' time I'll focus on the character we've shown to come back from behind twice.

"We've not stopped the momentum with drawing the game, but I'm disappointed first and foremost.

"Firstly it was the windiest day of the year, it felt like, and that really, really affected the quality of the football match, and secondly I thought we looked a bit edgy as a team.

"I think the 20 shots and the 10 on target probably flatter us a little bit. I didn't think we showed enough quality. I was quite shocked when I saw those numbers, and two poor goals [conceded] - very similar to the Bolton game where we're on top and then just after half-time shoot ourselves in the foot and then again at 1-1.

"So whenever we see things that become more consistent and less a blip, we have to address them and we will do in the week, but we feel like it's two points dropped today and the performance didn't deserve anything more."

Exeter City interim manager Matt Taylor told BBC Sport:

"Mixed emotions. I'm immensely proud of my players, the supporters, the football club.

"But when you go ahead twice and, certainly for the second time so late on in the game, you're hoping and expecting you can see the game out.

"Full credit to the opposition, they put us under enough pressure to get back into the game.

"I liked us today, we gave everything and a little bit more. We actually probably missed some attacking opportunities in that first half.

"There was a bit more space for us to play and to break through, maybe a bit of nerves, a bit of anxiety."