The value of Richarlison's late goal on Wednesday night became all too clear 24 hours on from his deflected shot bobbling into the net.
While the Leicester City game was identified as a winnable fixture, the manner in which the draw was ultimately achieved maintained some of Everton's momentum after the victory over Manchester United.
It extended the Blues' unbeaten home run to three matches and was further evidence of the power of the Goodison Park crowd in helping Everton's players find a way to avoid defeat. That energy and passion will be called upon when Chelsea, Brentford and Crystal Palace visit in the coming weeks.
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The importance of snatching a draw against Leicester was clear at the time - showcased in the atmosphere as the game came to an end and highlighted by pundits and ex-players alike in the post-match analysis. It was noted by several, including Gary Lineker, who wrote on Twitter at the time: "Huge goal for Everton. Would normally be gutted with a late equaliser against Leicester City FC but really don’t want to see the Toffees stuck in the Championship."
The Premier League table looked much brighter for the Blues on Wednesday night as they moved four points clear of biggest relegation threat Burnley, having played the same number of games. It offers a more worrying picture today following the Clarets' win over Southampton on Thursday, a result that closed that gap to one point.
Everyone involved with Everton's survival bid is keen to stress the club must focus only on its own games and not on results elsewhere, but for supporters that is easier said than done. In another season where the schedule has been ripped apart by Coronavirus, the quirks of the fixture list mean Burnley play again before Everton take to the pitch at Anfield in the Merseyside derby on Sunday.
Blues around the world will spend the build-up to the game with Liverpool fretting over events at Turf Moor, where a draw would be enough to move Burnley above Everton. Had it not been for Richarlison's stoppage time leveller they would have already pushed Everton into the bottom three.
But because of that goal they are not and the double psychological boost of avoiding defeat in a must-not-lose game and staying out of the bottom three heading into the weekend is crucial. It showed Everton are capable of pulling something from unlikely situations and, importantly, that players will fight to the end of every game in order to avoid defeat.
Richarlison's 50th goal for the Blues means Burnley still have work to do to leapfrog Everton and that, even if they succeed in doing that on Sunday, Everton will be no more than two points behind them with two games in hand when the derby starts. It secured a vital point which ensured Everton still have control over their own destiny. That is invaluable.
