Sean Dyche could not even name a full complement of players on the bench, so a point feels like a small victory
Everton are a club seemingly in a state of permanent crisis so any positives will be grasped immediately by Sean Dyche.
The mood among supporters remains mutinous but here there was a first Premier League goal of the season, and a point which ends a run of three successive defeats, albeit against a newly promoted club.
Dyche would surely have been skating closer towards thin ice with a defeat here, and frustration has increased in the fanbase after a deadline day without any new arrivals.
The late departure of Alex Iwobi to Fulham in the final stages of the transfer window was another unwanted development, with Dyche admitting the sale was down to the bleak reality of the club’s financial position.
Everton could also only name five outfield players, and two goalkeepers, on the bench at Bramall Lane as they battle with a long injury list.
So, with all those problems, Dyche will unquestionably regard a first point of the season as a step in the right direction. It could have been worse, but he was indebted to an outstanding save from goalkeeper Jordan Pickford to deny Oli McBurnie nine minutes into added time.
How many times over the last few difficult years has Pickford saved his club?
This already felt like a monumental game, with enough tension and drama to convince you it was the final day of the season. Some critics had even branded the game as “El Crapico” after the two teams’ underwhelming starts.
Sheffield United’s own alarming run was halted with a determined display which included a fine debut from £18m signing Cameron Archer.
Signing the young forward was a priority for United manager Paul Heckingbottom, and he is so highly regarded by Aston Villa that his former club insisted on a buy-back option.
Archer’s first goal was clear evidence of his predatory instincts, on a day when Everton’s more expensive attacking recruit Beto had a relatively quiet afternoon.
Everton’s first league goal in 316 minutes ended one unwanted statistic and was straight from the Dyche handbook.
It was typically scruffy, with Abdoulaye Doucoure converting from close range at the second attempt after United goalkeeper Wes Foderingham had palmed away his initial header.
Everton appeared briefly in control until Archer’s clinical finish, sidefooting the ball past Jordan Pickford after Oli McBurnie’s cushioned pass.
Three minutes into injury-time, Archer proved crucial again as his low 20 yard drive took a huge deflection off Pickford’s back to give United the lead.
Everton did respond in the 55th minute, with Arnaut Danjuma crashing the ball in at the far post.
Though both teams hunted a winner, the closest United came was in the final seconds when McBurnie’s downward header was brilliantly turned onto the bar by Pickford.
The return match at Goodison Park already feels like it will be significant in the direction of both club’s seasons.
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