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A first Everton goal for Diniyar Bilyaletdinov two minutes from time spared his side's blushes against Wolverhampton Wanderers in a 1-1 draw at Goodison Park.

The Russian sidefooted home from six yards after Kevin Doyle had earlier capitalised on woeful defending from the Toffees to give Wolves a 76th-minute lead.

Mick McCarthy's side ended the game with 10 men after substitute Stefan Maierhofer was sent off for two bookable offences in injury time following a clash with Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard.

Wolves had won one just one of their last 23 away games in the Premier League but, though they came within minutes of making it two from 24, a draw was probably the fair result in a match that ended in barnstorming fashion.

After an opening period notable only for the prodigious hurling ability of Greg Halford, Everton belatedly came to life creating two opportunities in the space of two minutes.

Hitherto preoccupied with thoughts of how best to deal with the long throws of Wolves' full-back, a 16th-minute slip by Christophe Berra allowed Tim Cahill a sight of goal from the edge of the area that the Australian failed to capitalise on before Louis Saha headed over from a corner kick delivered by the technically gifted Bilyaletdinov.

Howard was called upon to make his first save in the 28th minute when the American dived to his right to repel an effort from the edge of the area by Doyle.

Sylvan Ebanks-Blake, who is searching for his Premier League goal after a start to the season disrupted by injury, came within inches of breaking his and Wolves' Goodison Park duck with a turn and shot from eight yards out which went narrowly wide of Howard's left-hand post.

The home side almost had the lead inside 30 seconds of the restart. Leighton Baines's cross from the left was headed into the ground by Saha but Wayne Hennessey tipped the ball over the bar.

Wolves' Wales international was again to the rescue when Baines's ball over the top had the visitors' defence at sixes and sevens. Bilyaletdinov was through with only the goalkeeper to beat but Hennessey did brilliantly to deny the midfielder.

Ebanks-Blake then went close again for the visitors with a shot on the turn that took a touch off Joseph Yobo before flying just past the post.

Within a minute half-time substitute Ayegbeni Yakubu had also wasted a very good opportunity for the home side and Everton's increasing profligacy was then married to defending of even greater generosity that allowed the visitors to take the lead.

The home side's defence was sundered embarrassingly easily by a simple kick down field by Hennessey and Doyle was allowed in to poke the ball past Howard.

Frustration appeared to be getting the better of the home side before Bilyaletdinov converted a cross from substitute Jo to leave Goodison Park breathing a huge sigh of relief.

Everton pressed for a winner and might have got it through Baines's fiercely struck free-kick.

A rip-roaring second half would have been suitably concluded too had Doyle not been denied from point-blank range by Howard in the second of four additional minutes.

That was not the end of the incident though and a minute from full-time Wolves' substitute, the giant Austrian Maierhofer, was dismissed for a second yellow card.

Chris Stanton / Eurosport