Everton were left devastated as they were denied a late goal from Andrew Johnson in a controversial manner. The 0-0 draw was a blow to the Toffees as they were hoping to continue their good run and stake a claim for a berth in the UEFA Champions League next season.

The Barclays Premier League campaign has been an excellent one so far for Everton and they have managed to break into the top four. However manager David Moyes will be furious that they could not cement their place in this bracket.

The Blackburn clash per se was a lackluster one with neither side creating clear cut chances or troubling the goalkeepers. However Everton midfielder Manuel Fernandes had an early chance and hit the post much to the disappointment of the traveling contingent.

Moyes opted to have Andrew Johnson upfront as the lone striker and in effect paid the price for that as the former Crystal Palace striker was unable to get any help even when he ventured into Blackburn's penalty area.

Mikel Arteta, Tim Cahill and Leon Osman dominated the midfield, but their efforts were in vain as Everton were unable to break the deadlock. After the break Blackburn strung together some neat moves, but were unable to trouble the Everton defence.

In the 83rd minute, Vaughan sent through a neat ball to Johnson, who slotted home, but was aghast at seeing the linesman flag him for offside. Although Everton pressed hard during the last few minutes, they were unable to create anything and had to be satisfied with a lone point from the encounter.

The draw meant Everton stayed at the fourth spot with 44 points from 25 games, but Liverpool are just one point behind with a game in hand.