Erhun Oztumer scored against his former club as Walsall were held to an entertaining draw by second-placed Peterborough.
Erhun Oztumer’s 37th-minute strike put the Saddlers ahead but Gwion Edwards’ second-half volley earned second-placed Posh a point.
High-flying Posh made the brighter start, with August’s League One Player of the Month Jack Marriott bursting into the box before drawing a smart save from Mark Gillespie at his near post.
Former Peterborough man Oztumer almost put the Saddlers ahead on ten minutes when he unleashed a thunderous left-footed strike from 25 yards which crashed against the bar.
The match quietened down for a 25-minute spell, during which neither keeper was tested; Marriott and Michael Doughty each fired wide for Posh, while the hosts’ Joe Edwards also headed off target.
There had been nothing between the two sides but the deadlock was broken by Walsall seven minutes before half-time.
Luke Leahy’s 20-yard volley was parried by United keeper Jonathan Bond and Oztumer rifled the rebound into the roof of the net for his fourth goal of the season.
The hosts nearly doubled the lead shortly after half-time when Shaun Donnellan met Joe Edwards’ in-swinging corner with a glancing header which clipped the inside of the far post.
Posh threatened through Marriott on the hour, the lively attacker flashing a fierce angled drive wide from inside the box.
Walsall again went close to adding a second as the overlapping Flo Cuvelier delivered a low ball across the face of goal but a sliding Oztumer couldn’t connect.
And the home side were left to rue those missed chances as Peterborough – winless in their previous eight matches against the Saddlers – equalised with 18 minutes remaining.
Christopher Forrester’s right-wing cross found Gwion Edwards, who acrobatically volleyed into the ground and in off the bar.
There was a moment of huge controversy on 79 minutes as substitute Junior Morais fired home from Maddison’s far-post cross – but after a lengthy delay, the goal was disallowed for offside.
Both teams pressed for a winner in the closing stages, Saddlers substitute Zeli Ismail going closest when he ran half the length of the pitch before firing straight at Bond.
Team: Gillespie, Wilson, Donnellan, Guthrie, Devlin, Chambers, Edwards, Cuvelier (Morris 75’), Leahy, Oztumer (Ismail 82’), T Roberts (Bakayoko 69’).
Subs not used: L Roberts, K Roberts, Agyei, Jackson.
Attendance: 4,453 (751 Peterborough supporters).