Everton - 1 Fulham - 1:FA Cup fourth round: David Moyes has admitted he reacts to adverse results by drinking a little extra wine and taking his dog for extended walks. Two minutes from time it appeared the Moyes cellar would be further depleted but, just as Everton looked to be going out of the cup, Francis Jeffers earned a replay.
Goodison's fallen local hero had newly stepped off the bench when he reacted first to a loose ball, stabbing it beyond Edwin van der Sar from close range after the goalkeeper could only parry Duncan Ferguson's header from Thomas Gravesen's corner.
If Jeffers jogged a few memories, his goal represented harsh luck on Fulham whose defence, so porous at set pieces when losing at Newcastle last Monday night, had tightened up significantly. Zat Knight and Alain Goma cut out Kevin Kilbane's crosses assuredly while also keeping Moyes's front three at bay.
As Chris Coleman, their manager and once a centre-half himself, put it: "My defence was outstanding today; they were fantastic and we deserved to win."
Particular praise should go to Knight who, bar a possible concentration lapse at that last-ditch corner, second-guessed Ferguson superbly, preventing him from providing his customary nuisance value.
With their colleagues playing very much on the counter-attack, Knight and co had their work cut out absorbing early Everton attacks. Accordingly Moyes's side enjoyed the better chances with Kilbane having a first-half "goal" disallowed for handball and then testing van der Sar with a shot from his weaker right foot.
Even so, Nigel Martyn had to react quickly when a mistake by Alex Nyarko presented Barry Hayles with a decent shooting chance smartly saved by the former England keeper.
That apart, Nyarko initially held his own in his central midfield duel with Sean Davies. Had Moyes got his way and signed Davies in the summer, Nyarko would probably not have been on view here but, despite fading a little in the second half, the Ghanaian is gradually winning over his many critics at Goodison Park.
They may never forget his demand to be substituted after a confrontation with a fan at Arsenal but Everton fans are starting to see glimpses of the reasons why Arsene Wenger once considered him as a potential replacement for Patrick Vieira.
Yet it was Davies who gave Fulham the lead against the run of play four minutes into the second half. It began with a break from the hitherto quiet Steed Malbranque down Fulham's right. Malbranque fed Lee Clark whose cross was punched out by Martyn. Carlos Bocanegra pumped it back into the box and the onrushing Davies stretched and hooked the ball beyond Martyn. Everton's earlier air of superiority was being replaced with frustration, something manifested when Wayne Rooney - once again a less influential figure than his manager would have liked - was booked for kicking the ball away.
Time was ebbing away when another opening fell to Rooney. Shooting well off target from a tricky, although far from impossible, angle, English football's greatest attacking hope looked distinctly mortal.
If that dismal cameo appeared a microcosm of Rooney's season, Jeffers' late intervention offered a reminder of that old adage about form being temporary but class permanent. "I'm pleased for Franny. It'll give him the confidence he needs," said a relieved Moyes whose dog was presumably grateful for a shorter walk on one of the winter's coldest nights.
Guardian Service
