Romelu Lukaku scored his seventh goal in seven games against West Ham to rescue a point for the Toffees in their final league game at Upton Park.
The Hammers took the lead in stunning fashion when Manuel Lanzini curled an excellent effort into the top corner on the half hour mark.
Two minutes before the break, the Toffees drew level when the deadly duo of Gerard Deulofeu and Lukaku linked up to devastating effect once again.
The young Spaniard played an excellent defence-splitting pass through to Lukaku, and the Belgian finished calmly to net his seventh Premier League goal of the campaign.
The Belgian’s strike sent him into the Everton record books as 22-year-old followed in the footsteps of Blues legend Dixie Dean, to become only the second Everton player to score in seven successive games against the same club.
The Blues would have been hoping to build on their equaliser and come behind to claim victory at Upton Park for a fourth successive league game.
However, the second half had an even theme to it as both sides looked for a winner, without really testing either goalkeeper.
Just after the hour mark, Howard diverted Lanzini’s fizzing effort away from goal, before Deulofeu’s effort was deflected off target.
Ramiro Funes Mori and Winston Reid both had chances from corners, but neither capitalized as both defenders failed to hit the target.
Lukaku almost won it for the Toffees with five minutes remaining, however he poked Brendan Galloway’s cross narrowly wide of the post.
It’s a point the Toffees will gratefully take back to Merseyside ahead of a kind run of fixtures after the international break, however Evertonians would have been hoping for a repeat of recent victories in their final trip to the Boleyn Ground.
The point means Everton’s unbeaten run against the Hammers extends to fifteen league games though – a run that goes back to April 2007.
It was farewell to a happy stomping ground for the Blues, as they departed Upton Park with a point to climb to eighth in the table.
Five key stats:
– The Deulofeu-Lukaku combination – which cost Everton a combined £32M – has now led to four Premier League goals this season, the joint most in the league alongside Lukaku to Arouna Kone, and Mesut Ozil to Olivier Giroud.
– Romelu Lukaku has been directly involved in 11 Premier League goals this season, only Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez have been involved in more.
– Gerard Deulofeu has more league assists (five) than any other U21 player in Europe’s top five leagues.
– The 21-year-old has registered two goals and seven assists in just six starts (13 appearances) for Everton this season, including being directly involved in five Premier League goals in his last three games.
– Despite conceding first in their last five visits to Upton Park, the Toffees remain unbeaten at the Boleyn Ground in seven league outings.