An injury-time equaliser from Joe Gormley cruelly denied Dungannon Swifts as they came so close to toppling the champions in North Belfast.
The striker scored in the 92nd minute to salvage a point, just when it seemed Cliftonville’s long unbeaten run in this fixture was over.
It was a crushing blow for Dungannon boss Darren Murphy, who slumped to his knees on the touchline after the goal, but he can take pride from his side’s battling performance.
Just seven days after a humbling five-goal defeat against Portadown, they produced a gutsy display full of character and commitment.
A back line which had been so exposed by the Ports was reshuffled, including a first start for goalkeeper Niall Morgan, and proved a lot more difficult to break down.
The midfield regained its competitive edge while the return of James Costello complemented a more industrious, hard-working, team performance.
The one disappointment for Murphy will be that his side could not hold out to secure a much-needed win and end their winless run in this fixture.
It is now 18 games since Dungannon last beat the Reds, and they won’t come any closer than this to finally banishing that unwanted record.
Most will agree the result was about right. Cliftonville had more efforts on goal, but Dungannon created by far the clearest chances.
The game itself took some time to develop, with a thrilling second half compensating for the poor quality offered up in the opening 45 minutes.
Dungannon created the first two chances with a last-ditch Jamie McGovern tackle denying Darren Boyce before Ryan Harpur’s audacious lob from the halfway line landed just wide.
It took the home side 19 minutes to test Morgan. Gormley drove forward and cracked a right-foot shot which was well blocked.
But a Cliftonville goal three minutes before half-time threatened to undo much of Swifts’ good work.
Liam Boyce collected a ball from Diarmuid O’Carroll and dashed past Terry Fitzpatrick, before firing a left-foot effort into the far corner.
Buoyed by the goal, the Reds almost snatched a second via O’Carroll, but his drive from a promising position lacked accuracy and flashed over.
The match came to life in the second half, which was played in appalling conditions as heavy rain poured down around North Belfast.
Dungannon levelled eight minutes after the restart. Costello twisted and turned his way past a defender and teed up Boyce, who rifled home with a powerful half-volley.
It drew a response from Cliftonville and O’Carroll worked his way into a shooting position before dragging a right-foot shot wide of the target.
Then a searching pass sent Gormley hurtling towards goal. He eased Cameron Grieve off the ball but Morgan was quickly off his line to close down the chance.
Dungannon twice went close to taking the lead.
Jamie Douglas was spectacularly denied by Conor Devlin before Boyce somehow missed a great chance when one-on-one with the Reds’ goalkeeper, wastefully slicing the ball into the side-netting from a few yards out.
Morgan, pitched straight into action after rejoining in midweek, was also being kept busy and blocked two Gormley efforts from the edge of the box.
But as the Reds pushed for a way through, Dungannon snatched the lead.
Chris Lavery advanced down the left wing, cut inside and hit a low strike which beat the goalkeeper too easily, creeping past Devlin at his near post.
As the seconds ticked down, Murphy became increasingly agitated on the sidelines.
But just as it seemed Swifts would hold out, Cliftonville showed their championship mettle with a late, late equaliser.
The clock had ticked into the 92nd minute when Boyce got to the byline and pulled the ball across for Gormley, who stabbed home at the back post.
CLIFTONVILLE: Devlin, McGovern, Scannell, McMullan, O’Carroll (Donnelly, 65), Smyth, Catney, Gormley, Murray (Curran, 54), Doherty (Caldwell, 72), Boyce
Subs not used: Johnston, Garrett
DGN SWIFTS: Morgan, McMinn, McCafferty, Grieve, Fitzpatrick, Harpur, Hutchinson, Costello (Doyle, 71), C Lavery, Hazley (Douglas, 44), Boyce
Subs not used: Brennan, Lowe, McCullough
Referee: Raymond Crangle (Belfast)