Coach Michael Foley acclaimed a 'marvellous comeback' by his players after Bath claimed a 27-27 draw against Zurich Premiership visitors Wasps.
Bath scored 18 points during the final quarter after trailing 24-9, but they were denied victory when Wasps fly-half Alex King dropped a goal with the game's final kick.
"That was a marvellous comeback, I am very pleased with the way the team have fought themselves into contention the players worked very hard," Foley said.
Bath looked to have done enough when flanker Dan Lyle crossed for an injury-time try following an earlier touchdown by centre Mike Tindall, yet they were undone by King's instinctive strike from 30 metres.
It was an eventful afternoon for Lyle, who also spent 10 minutes in the sin-bin and knocked on at the restart, enabling King to grab the ball and deny Bath the win.
"With regard to the sin-binning, I thought that Dan was very unlucky to leave the field," Foley added.
"He was questioning the referee's penalty decision, and as vice-captain of the side he is entitled to ask why a penalty has been given."
Wasps put themselves in the driving seat through a try double by full-back Josh Lewsey, while referee Nigel Whitehouse also awarded the Londoners a penalty try after Phil Greening was illegally impeded by prop David Barnes when he tried to collect scrum Rob Howley's pass, but then it went pear-shaped.
Malone had kicked two penalties for an early 6-0 lead, but Wasps then took charge, despite losing their dazed hooker Trevor Leota after he tried to tackle Bath's rampaging French prop Alessio Galasso.
King struck a short-range penalty, and after Lyle was sin-binned by Welsh referee Whitehouse, Bath found themselves on the backfoot.
Trailing 17-6 at the break, Malone completed his penalty hat-trick but things went from bad to worse as the penalty try and King's simple conversion moved the visitors further ahead.
But Tindall gave Bath a glimmer of hope when he grabbed his side's opening try of the league campaign after more than four hours' premiership action.
Malone continued to chip away at Wasps, eroding their composure in the process, with two further penalties, and then wing Tom Voyce took centre-stage.
In a last desperate attack, Bath full-back Mike Catt sent Voyce sprinting away from his own 22, and after he beat several Wasps players, the home side had enough men out wide for Lyle to squeeze over in the corner.
Even though Malone could not land the difficult touchline conversion, Bath looked to have pulled off the most unlikely of victories but then it was King's turn in the spotlight and honours finished even.
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