Blackburn held Everton to a goalless draw in the Premier League at Ewood park.

The result, combined with others on Saturday, saw Everton stay in fourth and Blackburn eighth.

And the match - despite not being easy on the eye - played out to the relative standing of the sides, both determined and well-drilled with Everton a notch above Rovers in terms of quality.

A somewhat dreary first half saw Mikel Arteta and Leon Osman both go close in quick succession, the former with a great run and shot that Brad Friedel tipped away and the latter with a drive that flew just inches wide of the post from the subsequent corner.

David Bentley had a speculative effort fizz over the Everton bar, but the final effort of the first 45 minutes fell to the visitors, Phil Jagielka heading down and wide after rising to meet a corner to bring a tepid half of football to a close.

Words must have been had by David Moyes and Mark Hughes, because their respective teams came out after the break with renewed and immediate vigour.

Bentley ran from the kick-off to force a superb save from Tim Howard, while his fellow member of the American goalkeeper's union was made to work almost immediately, parrying a Manuel Fernandes effort.

The Portuguese midfielder - only recently returning to Everton from an ill-fated spell at Valencia - was looking a class act, particularly in the African Cup of Nations absence of Steven Pienaar.

His passing and work-rate impressed, and he had the best opportunity of the match when, just after the hour mark, he sent a low, curling free-kick around the Blackburn wall and off the woodwork while a statuesque Friedel could only admire.

And Arteta - lucky to stay on the pitch late on after stupidly raising his arms to the throat of Morten Gamst Pedersen following the mildest of fouls - repeated the act, sending an almost identical set piece into the side-netting five minutes later.

Blackburn were still threatening, however, substitute Benni McCarthy convinced he had been impeded when he fired weakly into Howard's arms in a one-on-one situation, while the same man cried for handball when his shot was blocked by Zurab Khizanishvili.

Bentley also had another trademark long-range effort, forcing a good save from Howard with a clever free kick curled in from the right.

Everton had a goal disallowed, and they were furious with the decision that ruled Andrew Johnson to be in an offside position.

Roque Santa Cruz had an effort land on the roof of the net in injury-time, but anything other than a draw would have been harsh on both sides.

Reda Maher / Eurosport