Ayegbeni Yakubu turned home a free kick for the equaliser in Everton’s 1-1 victory over Middlesbrough on Sunday but the Toffees fell even further off the pace in the Premier League title race.
Boro took a surprising ninth-minute lead at Goodison Park but Everton had chances to win the game and the draw means David Moyes’ men fell further behind the leading title contenders, sitting in seventh place with 13 points to make up.
Boro winger Stewart Downing sent a sideways pass to an unmarked Gary O’Neil on the right, and the midfielder fired a lot shot which beat goalkeeper Tim Howard and went in off the inside of the near post.
Yakubu should have leveled in the 14th when he got clear of Boro defender Emanuel Pogatetz. But goalkeeper Ross Turnbull raced off his line to block the shot with his left hand.
Joleon Lescott hit the post with a lob, Phil Jagielka and Tim Cahill both went close with headers before the home side equalised in the 65th minute.
Mikel Arteta fired a free kick in from the left and Yakubu bent his back to deflect the ball home off his shoulder.
Sunday’s other game was Hull at home to Manchester City.
On Saturday, Chelsea won a record-equaling 10th league away game in a row — 3-0 at last place West Bromwich Albion — to stay ahead of Liverpool on goal difference at the top of the Premier League standings.
Liverpool stayed level on 32 points from 13 games — just over a third of the way through the season — by winning 2-0 at Bolton and Manchester United moved up to third with a 5-0 triumph over Stoke although the Red Devils are still eight points behind the co-leaders
with a game in hand.
Arsenal lost 2-0 at home to Aston Villa to slip to fourth and that keeps Martin O’Neill’s Villa in fifth.
Harry Redknapp’s revival at Tottenham ended with a 2-1 loss at Fulham and Saturday’s other results were Blackburn 1, Sunderland 2; Newcastle 2, Wigan 2; West Ham 0, Portsmouth 0. – Sapa-AP