Everton battled to a 0-0 draw against Fulham - but it wasn't enough to prevent them from dropping into the Premier League relegation zone on the eve of their points appeal being heard.
An entertaining encounter at Craven Cottage somehow finished goalless, with the Toffees twice hitting the woodwork while the London outfit also missed a couple of big chances.
It meant that Sean Dyche's injury-hit side's winless streak in the top flight stretched to five matches and have now been demoted into the bottom three following Luton Town's shock 4-0 win over Brighton.
Everton made a lively start and Jack Harrison curled an effort just wide after just two minutes before Dominic Calvert-Lewin had a shot blocked in the fourth minute.
Five minutes later, Toffees goalkeeper Jordan Pickford made a decent stop to keep out Antonee Robinson’s 20-yard effort.
The game continued to prove entertaining and Everton went agonisingly close to opening the scoring on 24 minutes. Ashley Young’s teasing free-kick was pushed back into the box by Fulham keeper Bernd Leno and James Tarkowski’s rushed effort hit the crossbar.
Then in the 32nd minute, the Blues mustered a swift counter-attack and Arnaut Danjuma burst into the box but failed to keep his composure.
Fulham had a chance to break the deadlock four minutes before half-time but Raul Jimenez’s fizzing shot failed to hit the target.
The second period continued to be an open affair, with Calvert-Lewin nodding a corner against the woodwork in the 55th minute.
Three minutes later, Fulham thought they were set to take the lead when Bobby Decordova-Reid squared for Willian just yards out but Ben Godfrey made an excellent recovery challenge.
Everton came under pressure, with Timothy Castagne heading against the bar for the Cottagers before Pickford made a stunning save to keep out Tosin Adarabioyo’s aerial effort with 14 minutes remaining.
In stoppage-time, Fulham carved open another golden opening but Rodrigo Muniz headed into the arms of Pickford. The visitors then had a chance to clinch all three points from a corner but Beto somehow failed to hit the target.
Both sides will feel they should have proven triumphant - but the spoils were shared. And as a consequence, Everton find themselves in the bottom three. That's because they were hit by a 10-point deduction for breaching Premier League financial rules, although the three-day appeal begins tomorrow.
Here's how we rated the Everton players.
1. Jordan Pickford - 8
Made a decent stop from Robinson in the first half and was alert off his line. Came to Everton's rescue with a stunning stop in the second period.
2. Ben Godfrey - 8
Booked in the first half but did as well as he could against a potent Fulham attack. Then made two crucial interceptions at the back post in the second half - the second on Willian immense.
3. James Tarkowski - 8
Scuffed an effort onto the bar in the first half and was generally solid. Made a few big blocks in the second half and positioning was excellent., while he should have had an assist when heading across goal for Beto late on.
4. Jarrad Branthwaite - 7
Made a couple of good tackles in the first half before being booked for a late challenge. Got in the way of plenty after the break.