EVERTON 1 ALBION 1

This away point might look a lot better the more you think about it.

As the final whistle sounded at Goodison Park, it felt a bit deflating and disappointing for various reasons.

Because of the sense of domination you get, rightly or wrongly, when a team has an overwhelming majority of possession (80% in this case).

Because of the nature of the disallowed goal for Lewis Dunk.

Because of the continued feeling that possession and territory were not being turned into enough chances in the second half, even though Albion by now posed more of a threat.

And because, even right at the end, there were moments when one thought they might nick it.

That they were the team who didn’t want the final whistle to come.

Even in the final few seconds, it fleetingly looked like Ansu Fati might be about to let fly with his left foot.

And also because wins have been hard to come by of late and we are all impatient to see three points arrive at once.

But then you reflect and it feels like a decent result in the sort of circumstances the club have not enjoyed in recent years.

Roberto De Zerbi, sometimes so unimpressed by draws, was surprisingly philosophical as he spoke to the media.

And the more you reflect – maybe think back to previous trips of the sort to Goodison – the less reason there is to feel gloomy.

Going into the game, there were plenty of mentions of the 4-1 romp here against a brittle Everton side.

But Saturday felt more like the circumstances in which Albion fans have had miserable trips to wet and dark Goodison since winning promotion.

They met a side set up by Sean Dyche, a pragmatic manager who is seen by some as having Albion’s number.

That is only true to a degree. His sides have done really well at the Amex, not so well at home to the Seagulls.

Dyche effectively turned this into an away game for his side in terms of pattern of play.

And they handled Albion’s threat very effectively once Vitalii Mykolenko had fired them ahead at the second attempt as his finish went in off Lewis Dunk.

It is not hard to imagine a scenario whereby Albion ran of steam, felt it wasn’t their day and even conceded a late second goal on a counter attack.

Instead, they got a bit of luck as Kaoru Mitoma’s cross flicked off Ashley Young and looped obligingly over Jordan Pickford.

Everton responded with their best attacking spell of the game and Albion had to stand firm for a few minutes.

But they looked the side more likely to win it very late on.

De Zerbi said: “It’s an important point. We are not playing well like one month ago, two months ago, but there are many reasons for it.

“It is not a very brilliant moment for us, but we are fighting. I think we played a good game.

“We didn’t shoot enough to win the game and the result is fair.”

Mitoma is always a threat and he was out wide, beating Jack Harrison, before forcing the goal which the stadium announcer generously awarded to the Japan star, even if no one else did.

Albion had looked to get Mitoma further infield initially, an area where De Zerbi wants him to improve.

Among the various changes, tweaks and rotations, the Seagulls are lacking that explosive cutting edge from the full-back areas and it takes something away from their attacking game.

James Milner did well defensively at left-back and was always looking to join in from quite advanced positions.

But, through no fault of anyone’s, Albion don’t have that spark from full-back and Tariq Lamptey was withdrawn from the bench here having initially been named in the matchday squad.

De Zerbi said: “James Milner played very well. Pervis Estupinan and Lamptey are both injured.

“In the second half, I changed Pascal Gross’s position and put him at left-back to put another attacker, Facundo Buonanotte.”

Asked the gameplan, De Zerbi said: “To move the ball quickly, to put Mitoma between the lines - one player more – and James Milner higher.

“I think we played well in the second half.

“In the first half, we didn’t shoot and we have to create more chances to score.”

Dunk was involved in two moments which almost put the visitors back level.

His stunning volley from a Gross free-kick was ruled out by video assistant Michael Oliver after a long check found the skipper to have been marginally offside.

And he tested Pickford with a free-kick which was heading high into the net early in the second half.

Gross fired over after Mitoma cut the ball back and, for Everton, there was a shot wide by Dwight McNeil, a goal-saving challenge by Dunk to deny Dominic Calvert-Lewin and, at 1-1, a scramble straight off the school playground at a late set-piece which Albion repelled.

Everton: Pickford; Young (Patterson 90), Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko; Harrison, Garner, Gueye, McNeil; Doucoure; Calvert-Lewin (Beto 90). Subs not used: Virginia, Lonergan, Keane, Danjuma, Godfrey, Chermiti, Dobbin.

Goal: Mykolenko 7.

Yellow card: Gueye 43, Doucoure 54, Branthwaite 77, Tarkowski 81

Albion: Verbruggen; Veltman, Van Hecke, Dunk, Milner (Buonanotte 79); Gilmour (Dahoud 68), Gross; Adingra (Igor 90), Lallana (Joao Pedro 46), Mitoma; Ferguson (Ansu Fati 68). Subs not used: Steele, Hinshelwood, Webster, Baleba.

Goal: Young OG 84.

Yellow card: Gilmour 20, Dunk 23.

Referee: Tim Robinson.

VAR: Michael Oliver.