Barnsley are winless in four league matches across a month after conceding a late equaliser in a 1-1 home draw against Queens Park Rangers on Tuesday.
Harvey Barnes opened the scoring with a spectacular long-range strike midway through the first half but Luke Freeman levelled with an equally impressive effort in the 88th minute.
The Reds delivered another decent performance but could not see out the win and now have eight points from nine matches, leaving them still fourth-bottom in the Championship and two points clear of the relegation zone.
Paul Heckingbottom made two changes from the side that lost in the last minute against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday. Zeki Fryers replaced Matty Pearson at left-back as he made his first league start since April 2015 while Ike Ugbo came in for Tom Bradshaw up front. The visitors started former Barnsley favourite Josh Scowen who left Oakwell for London in the summer.
After a dull start to the game, QPR had the first real chance on 15 minutes when Polish international Pawel Wszolek headed straight at Adam Davies from a left-wing cross by Jake Bidwell.
The game came to life in the 20th minute when Barnes curled a superb shot into the top right corner from 25 yards after Joe Williams' initial effort was blocked following a good move on the left involving Fryers and George Moncur.
Barnes tried to add a spectacular second but he could not get the right connection on an attempted scissor kick which was blocked after Barnsley counter-attacked through Moncur then Adam Hammill floated in a cross from the right.
Hammill then sent in a free-kick from the right which was met by Adam Jackson whose looping header went inches wide of the left post.
Barnes was substituted at half-time for Bradshaw as Barnsley reverted to 4-4-2 and so did the hosts with Northern Ireland striker Conor Washington coming off their bench.
Bidwell sent a volley over the bar from the edge of the box four minutes after the interval then Ugbo's low 20-yard shot was saved by Alex Smithies following good passes from Bradshaw and Williams on the counter-attack.
Scowen sent a header just over the bar against his former club as the midfielder rose highest to meet a Luke Freeman corner then, at the other end, Hammill's excellent 30-yard volley was tipped over by Smithies.
Wszolek should have levelled with 20 minutes to play when the ball came to him on the right of the box following a good passing move but he blasted over the bar from 15 yards out.
Substitute Matt Smith failed to test Davies with a weak 12-yard effort in the 84th minute after a good run and pull-back from fellow replacement Kazenga LuaLua.
The goal eventually came when Freeman picked up the ball on the left wing and unleash a wicked, swerving shot which flew past Davies into the net.
