Just as he did last week against Cork, Eoin Kelly slotted a last-gasp free for a share of the league spoils, taking his tally to 1-7 in the process.

Team captain Stephen Molumphy netted for the visitors who trailed by 0-13 to 1-9 at half-time, with Lar Corbett landing four points for Tipp in front of a 6,667-strong crowd.

The Premier County side moved further ahead when Noel McGrath found the net, but a Kelly goal revived Waterford at just the right time.

Both managers, Liam Sheedy and Davy Fitzgerald, had to alter their selected sides before the throw-in, as All-Star Eoin Kelly was replaced in the Tipp attack by his brother Paul and Dan Shanahan stepped in at full-forward for Waterford.

Molumphy and Shanahan opened the scoring for the Deise, with the latter opting to point when a goal looked on. The visitors' lead - 0-2 to 0-0 after seven minutes - could have been more as Kelly, who scored 1-17 against Cork, was wayward with his first three attempts from frees.

Timmy Hammersley knocked over Tipp's opening point from a free and Sheedy's charges did not look back, with centre-forward Corbett starring in a fast-paced first half.

Tipp's pace was causing problems for the Waterford rearguard, but Shanahan, who had an eye-catching duel with Padraic Maher, stamped his mark on the game when setting Molumphy up for a goal.

That strike levelled the tie at 0-9 to 1-6 and a subsequent point from Shanahan nudged Fitzgerald's side ahead.

Gearoid Ryan (0-2) and Noel McGrath added to Tipp's total and while Kelly landed two frees as the half came to a close, there was still time for Corbett to fire over his fourth long range point and give the hosts the lead for half-time.

Kelly kickstarted the Waterford challenge, on the resumption, with a well-taken point and the Deise had a let-off when Noel McGrath's penalty, following a foul on John O'Brien, was saved on the line by Clinton Hennessy and his defenders.

Hammersley dropped the resulting '65' over the crossbar, but Waterford got back on terms twice in quick succession as half-time substitute John Mullane set up a point for Shane O'Sullivan and landed a fine score himself.

Brendan Maher sandwiched a point in between those efforts, and Tipp strengthened their hand when Hammersley passed for Noel McGrath to charge through and smack a low drive beyond Hennessy's reach and into the net.

However, the scores dried up for Tipp and Waterford had the better of the remaining minutes, with Kelly snaffling a quick 1-1 to reduce the arrears to 1-17 to 2-12.

In the end, the Passage clubman, having missed an earlier free, held his nerve to convert the levelling point with the final puck of a typically hard-fought Munster derby.