Manchester United had dominated the first 45 minutes of the Barclays Premier League clash with a controlled and confident display, to the point that Everton were chasing shadows.
United held a deserved lead through Darren Fletcher at the break, but in the second period Everton stormed back with a physical performance, with Marouane Fellaini heading the equaliser.
United manager Sir Alex Ferguson was able to make five changes to the United side that outclassed Celtic in the Champions League in midweek.
Rio Ferdinand and Patrice Evra were back from injury, while Ryan Giggs returned as captain. Wes Brown and Ji-Sung Park were also recalled.
Everton had former United striker Louis Saha up front with Ayegbeni Yakubu, while Joseph Yobo and Phil Neville returned from injury.
The hosts were either brave or foolhardy to play two wide-men in Steven Pienaar and Mikel Arteta, leaving Leon Osman and Fellaini sometimes cruelly exposed in central midfield, where Giggs pulled all the strings.
United found space with ease. Dimitar Berbatov may seem to show an economy of effort, but his clever link-up play kept United moving forward with menace.
Everton did have a couple of decent half-chances early on, firstly when Fellaini took a pass from Joleon Lescott and saw a shot on the turn blocked by Nemanja Vidic.
From the corner by Mikel Arteta, Belgian midfielder Fellaini headed just over. Then Wes Brown needed to make a hasty block when Saha struck a low drive from the edge of the box.
But United's movement, quality passing - and the amount of men they got forward so quickly - had Everton constantly stretched.
Fletcher had a header from Giggs' corner deflected wide, and Neville blocked a drive from Cristiano Ronaldo. Wayne Rooney then blasted wide after a free-kick had been blocked.
A goal from the champions has been on the cards for a while when Fletcher broke the deadlock after 22 minutes.
Giggs' astute angled ball into the box by-passed a static Fellaini to allow Fletcher a run into space where he evaded Lescott, before calmly placing his shot wide of Tim Howard.
United sensed blood and Osman cleared off the line from Vidic, and Howard saved well from Ronaldo and Giggs as the visitors stormed forward.
Vidic was booked for a poor challenge which sent Saha flying after 29 minutes. From the free-kick, Everton saw shots from Yakubu and Steven Pienaar charged down.
Giggs' run and chip then created a headed chance for Rooney that dropped just wide.
Everton started the second period with more pace and urgency, which at least stopped United strolling in possession.
Phil Jagielka was booked for a foul on Berbatov after 51 minutes. When Arteta caught Brown, his pass to Fellaini produced a shot which was deflected away from goal.
Neville enraged his former United colleagues with a nasty lunge at an already grounded Ronaldo, boot connected with knee and the Everton captain was booked when the uproar had died down.
Everton then got their lifeline, having barely troubled Van der Sar previously. After 63 minutes Neville crossed from the right and Fellaini rose above Vidic to head the equaliser.
A minute later Yakubu harassed Ferdinand, stole the ball and ran into the box to see Van der Sar touch his shot onto the right post. United almost immediately sent on Anderson for Park.
Rooney was then booked for a late tackle on Arteta, the game now the physical battle Everton needed to inspire their revival.
Rooney's chances of scoring the 100th goal of his career back at his former club were ended after 71 minutes when he was replaced by Nani.
Carlos Tevez arrived six minutes later for Fletcher as United sought to re-establish their earlier seemingly effortless control.
Ronaldo was moved to play through the middle, and twice it took timely interventions from Yobo to snuff out danger. Brown was booked for bringing down Yakubu, before Ronaldo shot wide from a good position.
James Vaughan and Victor Anichebe were sent on for Yakubu and Saha in the final minutes, Everton now striving for an improbable victory.
Fellaini was booked in injury-time for dragging back Berbatov as United chased a late winner.
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good first half, but think this lulled us into thinking would be easier than it ended up!
SAF should have subbed lazy Bebov ebfore hour!!, as fo Rio he should have just got rid - too much foot all at times!!!
Defence was shaky 2nd! Play evans next game!!
Very dissapointed, but a pointderopped !??!..only on 1st half, a point won on 2nd!!
Start with Tevez next gamne - he at least gets INVOLVED!!
GARY Neville and Wes Brown's tussle for the united right back spot could also be revived for England
This really has to be a joke.
Neither are any good how many mistakes did he make today, to early for them still half asleep.
Fergie got it wrong yet again, what was he doing playing Park against a physical side like Everton.
Why is Giggs still playing for UNITED?
We could have scored 4 in the first half but for Howard you wonder why our keeper could not mange one save.
I think Fergie is yet again lost without a decent number two, he will probably lose TEVEZ, and there was nobody in midfield that could make a decent pass until Anderson came on.
Nani should have started so should Anderson Fletcher played well so Fergie take him off.
Fergie changes the team to much and he is to blame for this.
Utd in away day midfield collapse shocker!
Meanwhile, in other news...
p3 Pope revealed as Catholic!
p5 Sun sets in west!
p7 Lampard shot deflected!
Its a sad day for football if FERGIE backs Neville for ENGLAND.
At the moment he is getting everything wrong and Wenger is getting it right, for some reason FERGIE feels he has to play Giggs and BROWN.
I watched the reserves beat City 3.0 and they could have beaten this rubbish Everton Side Possebon De Silva Evans Eckersley.
Fergie without a number two does not have a clue!
Looks like we are becoming the "new Arsenal" - pretty patterns but when the other teams start a bit of the rough stuff we start o play like flossies. The Dippers stepped it up and now the toffeemem did the same and we fell apart. The Hargo situation needs to be sorted or we play Ando to add the bite in midfield. No panic as we seem to having all our tough away matches before Christmas this year (after CL games too - a bit fish that) but we need to close the gap on Chavski to 3 points to have a sniff. It is going to be interesting how Fergie copes without CQ in the next few games. Phelan needs to pull his finger out as do most of the team. Opportunity missed!
This United side is a pale shadow of last year, and is not going to win anything. They have neither heart nor enough skill. Berbatov has the latter but not the former, Park has the former but not the latter. Ronaldo is just a shadow living in the past and waiting for awards, Nani is a show pony who contributes absolutely nothing when it counts, Anderson (whom I loved last year) has gone right off the boil. We were smug in the first half and gutless in the second, and lucky to get a point.
Carrick, Hargo and Scholes injured and Anderson on the bench this was to be expected.
No fluidity in the midfield and Everton playing Ausiie rules football.
Gotta be grateful Berba and Ronaldo escaped without injury.
Saha gets fat on our salary and then shows he is fit. What a joke.
Still I think to concentrate on the Champions league is more important.
Pretty patterns, looks good BUT do you REALLY WANT IT!!?!
At 2-0 yes, but plaese no training perorkaces at the 1-0, we usually always get what we deserve whenever we do this!
Play Evans, Anderson & Tevez next game!!
Disappointed but not dismayed, Everton deserved a point on 2nd' display!
Fergie at his inept best. The opposing manager knew what to do to change things, at half time, after a terrible first half by Everton. SAF's response, to almost total second half dominance by Everton,(57% to 43% on the whole game), is to throw bodies out there and hope for the best. Typical Fergie tactics. He starts by bringing Uniteds best player on the day, Fletcher, off.(Yes I did say that, Fletch. was definitely my man of the match for Utd.) There was very little urgency or creativity in the midfield but Fletchers defensive qualities today were vital. Not to mention his great goal. Nothing went well for Man. U. in that second half until Tevez came on with his urgency and effort. He should have replaced Park at the 60th minute, not thrown on with only 10 minutes left. Ferdinand had a very rare off day and Brown was Oshea in disguise. Probably why he stayed on the bench. No body really played that badly today but that team is not going to win very much. Ronaldo continues to take all the free kicks, which nearly always hit the wall. I don't think he has got one over the wall yet this season. In fact Man.Utd's overall dead ball success rate is very poor. Everton are lingering just above the relegation zone but showed far more enterprise than we did and fully deserved their point.
united outmuscled? how many times have we heard that before? not many. everton are a hard playing team so how can he pick a midfield of giggs,flether, and park? asking for trouble. should have played the same team appart berbertov&nani, tevez was ideal for a game like this. also fergie should play a more settled side every week rather then chop and change.
Everton deserved their point and were excellent in the second half. And Utd could have lost but for a VdS save and the post.
This United team has the potential to be one of the best but it needs to play as a team and that includes the likes of Ronaldo and Nani. It is also time Nani and Anderson turn the course of a game.
Danny Wilmslow, How dare you take my name in vain. He! He! He!.
Danny Black. My sentiments entirely. Not many of Fergies brown nosers on here yet.
David Black, sorry.
Why we'll find it hard to defend our title:
A) we are mentally and physically weak. We lack of fighting spirit. Look at how Liverpool win matches in the second half while we lose them.
B) too many injuries to our CMs.
C) Ronaldo's poor form.
D) complacency has cost us points at Anfield and Goodison.
E) nani and anderson are talented but are yet to take the final step.
F) lack of wingers. Park and Nani are squad players and do not deserve to start.
G) we are aerially very vulnerable. Any PL team will fancy their chances of scoring from a corner, free kick or a cross into our penalty area a la Everton, Newcastle and Chelsea. Only Rio and Vidic are really good in the air.
Just want to talk about the Ronaldo incident with Neville. Ronaldo was fouled and was fighting to stay on his feet when Neville hit him with both sets of studs showing. Red card and game over. Gutless refereeing. We got hammered every time we had the ball in the second half and the tactic worked. We need Giggs back on the wing and tevez for berbatov when the tackles are flying in. Bit of stupidity from Roo but if we had Ronny, Fletch, Anderson and Giggs across the middle with Roo and Tevez up front we would have held them. I would also have subbed Rio for Evans as he appeared to me to be in some sort of difficulty.Fletch was MOM and got subbed. I give.
We were lucky to get away with a poitn after that 2nd half display. We are really the worst team of all times when it comes to dead ball. We have no players who can cross and it seems like 99% of goals we concede it is from crosses.
However can someone tell me why Fergie rarely acts when the team is struggling but we see more of him after we concede. We are not a team like Chelsea who can defend for their life.We are at our best with the ball and not without.Rooney will never grow up to concentrate on the team and not the stupid things going around him. Anyway i hope we ll be back to our best as soon as CR got his personal awards he is waiting so much and the attack start doing their job as we lost points so far either because of bad team selection or the complacency of our forward players who just think they are the best in the world as soon as we re leading.
Anderson and Possebon should have started in CM. Fletcher did ok and Giggs was the usual give away machine but you have to put your best available on the field and in the absence of MC, PS and OH then Possebon and Anderson are it.
The time to start showing off is when you have won the league not in the first half of a match early on in the season. More attempted back heals in the first half than in a whole season.
That said, Everton deserved their point in the end. Everton did not show the same tenacity against Liverpool.
The worry for us is that last year we picked up six points on Meseyside, this year one. This makes it essential now that we win at Arsenal & City, where we only picked up one point last year.
Our form looks good, but we have beaten a poor WBA, Celtic and Aalborg. Got some luck against Bolton, our only real bright spot was a good win at Blackburn.
Not over by a long way yet, but judging by our reaction (or none reaction) to being under pressure today , if Chelsea ( no worry about Liverpool) get too many points in front it is going to be difficult to catch them, apart from points dropped against Tottenham, they have,nt shown any signs of slipping.
Berbatov seems to disappear as soon as the going gets tough. Ronaldo's heart is not in it. Giggs too weak in midfield at crucial times.
We still have a chance, but as Chelsea found last year chasing is a good side is always difficult.
flipping hell, a lot of over the top negative comments on here today...
yes, we only got a point against a really crap everton team
yes, we should have buried them in the first half, we were brillant and giggs espcially
yes, rio made a mistake, got punished and nearly repeated it a few minutes later, but he is still the best defender in the world
yes, ronaldo is playing like someone who does not have the guts for a fight, 4 free kicks today, 3 into the wall and 1 deflected over
yes, anderson was bought as an attacking goalscoring midfielder, we have turned him into a defensive scared to shoot holding midfielder
yes, i loved it when wazza kissed the badge and gestured to the scousers
yes, we will retain both our trophies this season
yes, we have 30 league games left
yes i was at the game today
yes, we will win on wednesday, good to have carrick back
Yes agreed I think Fergie lost this one for us, first by playing Park (at all), second thinking Giggs can play more than 45 min, thrid with stupid substitutions. Berbatov didn't show up (Saha was better) and taking Fletcher (MOM) off was stupid, taking Rooney off for other than Tevez stupid...... Well done Everton in 2nd, maybe United should get Moyes!
A game of two halves indeed. We were terrific in the first and should have buried them, woeful in the second as we collapsed under a battering from Everton and we're lucky to keep a point. Giggs, I thought was very good again today, especially in the first half,tired a bit in the second. Fletcher put in a good shift and I was suprised to see him subbed off. 3 of the back four, Wes, Rio & Vida looked very wobbly in that second half, Evra was terrific as usual. Wazza, out of sorts, Ronny MIA for most of the game, and poor dead ball play from him.Maybe we should start worrying as much about Hull as we do about others.They are bloody amazing I must say, and will give us a run for our money next week. 6 points from our two games next week is a must if we are to keep in touch, but given our display in the last 45 mins today, who knows.
Bad day at the office (well, second half anyway). But we'll dust ourselves over the next couple of days and get over it. Sir Alex will make sure of that.
Still don't think we'll be anywhere near the title come May though. I say we'll finish fourth. Our best bets lie in the cups this season. I'd be happy with a CL & FA Cup double as long as the dippers don't win the PL.
Exciting ,blood and thunder match,but to use the old cliche ,a game of 2 halves .United first 45 mins. looked every bit a class team ,apart from Rio who went from bad to worse.
Everton came out 2nd half with a grit ,and determination that if was shown every week they wouldnt languish in the bottom region of the League.
Tevez should have been on just after half time,as his workrate would have matched the Toffees vigour .Everton did play it hard ,but no complaints really .2 home games now ,and 6 points a must.Everton havent beat the REDS @Goodison since the days of Duncan Ferguson ,so maybe it was their turn to get a point ,which in my opinion was deserved.United will have more matches like this I am sure,so not too despondent .Always enjoy my trips to Goodison ,and have seen them crowned Champs there once ,+ the 4-2 comeback of 2 seasons ago.To all the Giggs knockers ,Ryan was brilliant until he faded late in the game.On another day Ronaldo would have scored a couple.As for Rio ,a bad day at the office,and dont forget Jonny E is waiting for another chance.Well done too, Tim Howard ,
you are still a great keeper.
Why can,t you give Everton some credit for their second half.We had the first half and Everton the second,and a draw was a fair result over 90 minutes.Some people just come on here to moan instead of giving a view , you don,t assess a manager or a team over one performance.Im glad Fergie is in charge and not some of you CLUELESS posters....support the team and the dream...............