Everton moved up to 15th in the Premier League after holding Tottenham to a 1-1 draw.
Sean Dycbe’s unchanged side from the 2-2 stalemate at Chelsea before the international break produced a largely resolute display on Monday night.
But Abdolaye Doucoure received a straight red card on the hour mark for violent conduct after he had shoved Spurs striker Harry Kane in the face.
Kane later opened the scoring from the penalty spot when Michael Keane bundled over Cristian Romero, allowing the England captain to dispatch.
Both sides finished a man down as Lucas Moura joined Doucoure in leaving the pitch early after a reckless lunge on Keane triggered an instant dismissal.
In the 90th minute, however, Keane produced a stunning 25-yard strike to earn the hosts a hard-fought point that eased their relegation troubles.
Here were the key talking points from Goodison Park:
Blues remain their own worst enemy
Despite the hard-fought nature of this draw, long-suffering Evertonians had already seen the imminent warning signs of a familiar trait emerging.
For the best part of an hour, their team more than held its own against a Tottenham side still wrestling with the aftershock of Antonio Conte’s demise.
And then, in the blink of an eye, all that hard work was immediately undone.
To say this game turned on Abdoulaye Doucoure’s needless sending-off in the 60th minute would be a gross understatement – it ran away from the hosts.
From the moment the midfielder saw red, both metaphorically and literally, Sean Dyche’s side were always destined to shoot themselves in the foot.
That they managed to rally after both teams had been reduced to 10 men, thanks to Lucas Moura’s lunge on Michael Keane, deserves ample credit.
Still, though, the Blues proved that they remain their own worst enemy.
No complaints in Doucoure’s madness
Try as he might, Doucoure remains a magnet for criticism at Everton in 2023.
Ostracised by Frank Lampard and swiftly reintegrated under Sean Dyche, the French enforcer could be forgiven for suffering from whiplash since January.
But he can have no complaints whatsoever about an instant dismissal after losing his head with a shove to Harry Kane that tipped the balance of power.
The England captain’s reaction may have exaggerated the level of contact but Doucoure’s intent was undeniable and incurred an automatic three-game ban.
Frustratingly the 30-year-old’s enforced absence could not have come at a worse possible time, in the midst of a purple patch and a relegation dogfight.
Saturday’s trip to Manchester United is one where his resurgent displays in the engine room would ordinarily serve as a highly valuable commodity.
Instead, Dyche must hope one of Doucoure’s midfield cohorts can step into the void after a moment of madness which comes with a potential cost.
Keane lives for Goodison nights
More than most, one Everton player will miss running out at Goodison; playing under the lights here seems to stir something in Michael Keane.
His previous goal beneath the Grand Old Lady’s halogen glow served as a priceless lifeline where the club’s Premier League status appeared at risk.
Barely 11 months on from his strike on that heady and oft-quoted evening against Crystal Palace, the former England international repeated the trick.
How fitting that Keane’s 90th-minute piledriver coincided with the venerable Mike Lyons making an emotional return to watch his boyhood club in action.
💥 Pick that one out! pic.twitter.com/qsIWkOL1OU #EFC #COYB #EVETOT
— Everton FC news (@ClickEverton) April 3, 2023
Everton’s iconic 1970s captain knew a thing or two about surging forward late on to snatch a much-needed goal, scoring 59 of them in his 12-year spell.
Redemption, however, was key in Keane’s latest act in front of the Gwladys Street after fouling Cristian Romero in the prelude to Kane’s penalty opener.
His ensuing long-range effort wiped that slate clean and may have handed Everton yet another priceless moment in their battle for top-flight survival.