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Everton and Aston Villa shared two goals and two red cards in a hard-fought 1-1 draw in their Premier League clash at Goodison Park.

An opportunist strike from Diniyar Bilyaletdinov - who was later shown a red card - gave Everton the lead on the stroke of half-time, but substitute John Carew levelled within a minute of making his entrance at the break.

Carlos Cuellar was then shown a second yellow card late on as both sides were reduced to 10 men, but neither could find the elusive winner to clinch all three points in a frantic second half.

Despite scoring six of Everton's 12 league goals this season, Louis Saha was confined to the bench with Yakubu handed the sole forward berth.

Everton kept the ball with purpose and urgency in the opening passage of play as Brad Friedel, making his 200th successive Premier League appearance, was kept busy early on.

Marouane Fellaini was a persistent nuisance as the imposing Belgian challenged for every aerial ball in the Villa box, while Leighton Baines roamed freely down the left.

The Everton left-back whipped in numerous devilish deliveries from set-pieces, the first of which saw Tim Cahill lean back and direct his free header over the bar in the 11th minute to hand Villa an early reprieve.

Five minutes later, Johnny Heitinga conceded a free kick 35 yards away from his goal which Ashley Young delivered with Richard Dunne the target at the back post, but the defender could not latch on to it.

Heitinga then dinked a delicate through ball to Yakubu, who met it first time with a strong header but was unable to direct it on target on the half-hour mark.

It was then Warnock's turn to unfurl a volley in the 34th minute, following a marauding run down the Villa left; but having met Stiliyan Petrov's delivery he dragged his effort agonisingly wide of Howard's far post.

Villa had conceded just four goals in their previous four away matches in the league this season - the lowest average of any Premier League team - but their defence was breached on the stroke of half-time.

Bilyaletdinov then gave Everton the slender advantage their possession deserved in the first minute of first-half stoppage-time with a composed finish.

The Russian stole in to stroke home his second goal for the Toffees after Cahill had outwitted Dunne down the right and the Australian's looping cross had deflected off Yakubu into his path.

Martin O'Neill wasted no time in making a swift tactical response and Carew replaced James Milner at half-time to form a three-pronged attack for the visitors.

Within a minute of taking to the field, Carew made his mark as he slammed the ball home from close range after Everton were unable to clear as Gabriel Agbonlahor's speculative shot was deflected into the Norwegian's path.

The second half was a scrappy affair with the majority of the play in a congested midfield as both sides lacked a cutting edge in the final third of the field.

Cahill whipped in a decent delivery from the right in the 75th minute which picked out Saha, five minutes after the striker was brought on, but he put his free header wide of Friedel's near post.

Warnock again forced his way down the left and his low cross picked out Carew, but the striker was unable to turn the ball inside Howard's near post and the chance went begging.

Bilyaletdinov was given a straight red in the 85th minute after a high and reckless challenge on Petrov with the Russian having no complaints as he left the field following a very mixed afternoon.

Cuellar was then harshly shown the red card following an innocuous trip on Cahill which infuriated O'Neill on the touchline as Villa's numerical advantage was removed.

Neither side could breach the other's defence in a breathless final passage of play, with Villa the happier with the point as they remain seventh, while Everton are forced to settle for 13th place in the table.

Dan Quarrell / Eurosport