MAYBE David Moyes should have had a word with Marouane Fellaini after all. The Everton manager revealed earlier this week he had refused to pump the club’s new record signing for information on former employers Standard Liege.

But a little inside knowledge would have proved useful after Everton’s European aspirations were left hanging precariously in the balance last night.

A cup-tied Fellaini could only look on from the stands as his old colleagues secured a 2-2 draw in an enthralling Uefa Cup first round first leg tie at Goodison.

With those two away goals, the Belgian champions must be regarded as favourites for the second leg at their intimate and hostile Stade Maurice Dufrasne in two week’s time.

Now, as 12 months earlier, Everton find themselves having to do things the hard way to qualify for the group stages.

Similar to their encounter with Metalist Kharkiv 12 months earlier, when Andrew Johnson missed two penalties, Moyes’ men were at times their own worst enemy.

None more so than on 35 minutes when Joseph Yobo became the second of Moyes’ players to put the ball into his own net this week to put Standard ahead for the second time.

It was symptomatic of an incident-packed first half in which some outstanding Everton finishing was negated by sloppy defending.

Ayegbeni Yakubu had earlier equalised Dieumerci Mbokani’s opener, with Segundo Castillo, having recently began a season-long loan from Red Star Belgrade, marking his home debut with an outstanding 25-yard volley to drag Everton level again six minutes before the break.

Certainly, it won’t just be the over-enthusiastic ball boy who returned the ball before it had gone out of play during the first half that receives a ticking-off after this result.

Everton’s defence remains the major cause for concern.

The back line that underpinned their successes last season has been alarmingly porous since the squad reconvened in the summer; it’s now 10 games and counting since the last clean sheet.

At least some traditional qualities are still present and correct, Moyes’s men demonstrating huge character in twice fighting back from going behind in the first half.

That said, Everton were at times guilty of playing too much with their hearts rather than their heads.

It’s an admirable quality prerequisite of every winning team, but the home side would have benefited from a touch more tactical discipline.

This, remember, is a tie that will be decided over 180 minutes, not 90.

Credit, though, must go to Standard, who proved the Champions League scare they had meted out to Liverpool last month was no fluke with another accomplished display.

Even without Fellaini, the Belgian champions were an impressive outfit, the standouts being skipper Steven Defour pulling the strings in midfield and powerful forward Mbokani.

The sight of Victor Anichebe leaving the field on the stretcher after a nasty collision with Dante was the last thing Moyes needed, given his understandable concerns that his squad lacks the depth at present to realistically compete both home and abroad.

With Fellaini ineligible to play in Europe until the New Year, the fit-again Leon Osman replaced the Belgian in the only change from the Everton team that won at Stoke City on Sunday.

European competition had provided some of last season’s most memorable occasions at Goodison, and this was another to add to the ever-growing list.

The action flashed by in an exciting first half which bore resemblance to a blood and thunder Premier League game than a cagey first leg European tie.

Anichebe came close early on but it was Standard who struck first in the ninth minute with another goal that, from Everton’s point of view, could easily have been avoided.

Joleon Lescott was at fault, the left-back caught sleeping by allowing Wilfried Dalmat to reach a clever Defour pass down the inside right channel and cross for the unattended Mbokani to tap home.

Cahill should have done better when sending over a far-post header from Mikel Arteta’s chipped cross before Everton were hugely fortunate when Standard cut through their defence once more and Igor De Camargo unwittingly cleared Milan Jovanic’s shot off the line with Tim Howard well beaten.

Moyes’s side made the most of their escape by equalising midway through the half.

It was a well crafted strike too, Arteta’s ball in from the left to the edge of the area helped on by Osman for Yakubu to finish first time into the bottom corner.

Ten minutes before the break, however, Everton pressed the self-destruct button again at the back.

This time, Marcos had space to race down the right on to Dalmat’s pass and, in attempting to cut out the subsequent cross, the hapless Yobo succeeded only in putting the ball into his own net.

Everton were behind for just four minutes, Jovanovic’s headed clearance from an Osman pass dropping to Castillo 25 yards out, the Ecuadorian smashing a brilliant volley that Standard goalkeeper and international team-mate Aragon Espinoza got a hand to but couldn’t keep out.

Not a bad way for Everton to register their 100th goal in European competition.

Yakubu dropped an effort narrowly wide before the break and Arteta curled a free-kick shortly after as the game finally caught its breath.

The chances weren’t as free-flowing as they were in the first half as Standard elected to drop deep and play on the coutner-attack, leaving Everton to make the running.

Everton’s best opening came when substitute James Vaughan took Arteta’s right-wing cross off Cahill’s head and nodded over, while Lescott was extremely fortunate not to concede a penalty in injury time after misjudging another long pass and tangling with Dalmat in the area.

But even with that late let-off, Moyes’ men know they have it all to do in Belgium in a fortnight.