Everton twice came from behind to deny Watford a dream start to their Premier League return in this afternoon's opening-day fixture at Goodison Park.
Miguel Layun put the visitors in front inside 15 minutes, but Ross Barkley was able to respond with a thunderbolt strike in the second half.
Substitute Odion Ighalo looked to have earned all three points for the Hornets with less than 10 minutes to go, but Arouna Kone secured a 2-2 draw for the Toffees in the closing stages.
Below, Sports Mole dissects the 90 minutes that unfolded on Merseyside.
Match statistics
EVERTON
Shots: 10
On target: 5
Possession: 67%
Corners: 8
Fouls: 7
WATFORD
Shots: 11
On target: 5
Possession: 33%
Corners: 2
Fouls: 13
Was the result fair?
When any team loses their lead with four minutes to go, it's difficult not to say that it was unfair. In that respect, the result was harsh for Watford, who were achingly close to causing an upset at Goodison Park. However, Everton's second-half performance definitely warranted at least a point for the Merseyside outfit.
Watford surprised everyone by taking the lead through Layun in the first quarter of an hour and despite bringing six new signings into the team, Quique Flores's side looked comfortable in their shape and were able to thwart Everton's attacking prowess. It was definitely a game of two halves though, as Roberto Martinez's men came out firing in the second half and their pressure eventually paid off.
Everton's performance
The team seemed to lack ideas in the first half as they struggled to break down a Watford side, who camped out in their own half after taking the lead. While they had plenty of possession, that clinical touch was missing, and Romelu Lukaku was marked heavily whenever the ball got near him. In the second half, it was a completely different story as the tempo rose and the team were on the frontfoot from the outset and throughout.
Seamus Coleman and Kevin Mirallas had plenty of joy down the right-hand side and both sent perfect crosses into the box numerous times, which Watford had to work hard to handle. Barkley's thunderous goal gave the midfielder a boost in confidence and despite spending plenty of time on the sidelines with injury, Kone linked up well with Lukaku and then Kevin Naismith when the Scotsman was brought on.
Watford's performance
As mentioned above, Watford's intent in the first half surprised Everton and Troy Deeney in particular showed signs that he can cope with the demands of the Premier League. However, the forward was lucky not to have been sent off in the first half after his lunging two-footed tackle on Brendan Galloway in the first half. Fortunately for the Watford man, he was only issued with a yellow card.
Questions were asked over how well Watford's signings would blend in, but there were no signs of struggle as the team worked well in the first half to take the lead. Legs tired in the second half as they were forced to handle waves of attack from the home side, but Ighalo's second-half strike showed that Watford could get themselves back in the game.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Arouna Kone:
Given the amount of injuries that the 31-year-old has had to deal with during his Everton career, it was a special 86th-minute goal for the striker. The Merseyside outfit were close to losing their opening game of the season, but Kone's strike saved the club the embarrassment of losing to a newly-promoted side. The forward also laid the ball off for Barkley to score the first equaliser in the second half.
Biggest gaffe
Deeney may have been lucky not to get sent off, but the Watford striker was foolish to launch into a two-footed tackle while chasing the ball in Everton's penalty area. The ball came into the box and just as Galloway was preparing to hoof it out of danger, Deeney charged down and tried to nick it with his feet. A caution was the punishment given, but it could and should have been harsher.
Referee performance
Mike Jones brandished three yellow cards throughout the match and he allowed the game to flow when it needed. The downside to the match official's performance is that he failed to issue Deeney with a red card, when in most cases, his challenge would have warranted one. Other than that mistake, Jones had a relatively comfortable game.
What next?
Everton: The Toffees will travel to St Mary's to face Southampton in their second Premier League game of the season on August 15.
Watford: The Hornets will welcome West Bromwich Albion to Vicarage Road on August 15.
Danielle Joynson
