Chelsea, though, slowly began to enjoy greater possession in midfield as Moyes’s side found it increasingly difficult to retrieve and hold on to the ball.

One fine passing move ended with Joe Cole’s near-post shot bundled behind at the near post by Jagielka, the centre-back passed fit after a hamstring scare during weekend training.

But with Everton mindful of the pace of Anelka and keen not to leave space in behind their defence for the striker to revel, the game remained a tight, tense encounter.

That all changed with Terry’s red card. Although the challenge that sent Osman pirouetting through the Goodison night air appeared worse than it actually was, that the studs were showing meant referee Dowd had no option but to dismiss the England man.

Terry at least left the field on good terms with Osman after a handshake between the players as the Everton man received treatment. But the ire of the home crowd only intensified shortly afterwards with Michael Ballack’s lamentable attempt to get Cahill sent off, the German collapsing to the turf in agony after the merest of brushes from his opposite number.

Cech clutched an angled drive from Joseph Yobo as Everton finished the half the stronger, with Fellaini heading Tony Hibbert’s teasing cross straight at the Chelsea goalkeeper moments after the interval.

The inclusion of Hibbert at right-back was the only change from last week’s late, late triumph at Manchester City, Phil Neville pushed into central midfield on his 450th career start with a hamstrung Segundo Castillo absent.

Scolari introduced Drogba for the negated Anelka at half-time, and the Ivorian was soon ruffling feathers with his powerful physical presence and pathetic playacting.

But it was Everton that continued to attack. From one bout of pressure, Jagielka’s goalbound effort was blocked by Alex and Fellaini then glanced wide Steven Pienaar’s left-wing cross.

Ballack was awarded possibly the most amusing caution of the season midway through the second half when referee Dowd, having had enough of complaints Everton had not retreated 10 yards at a free-kick, demonstrated the wall were the required distance then marched back to the Chelsea midfielder to promptly issue a yellow card.

Cech did well to palm over after Hibbert’s cross deflected off Lampard and almost dropped underneath the crossbar and then, from the resultant corner, the keeper magnificently clawed clear a Lescott header.

Everton went close again with 10 minutes remaining, substitute Leighton Baines – on for Yobo – flashing across a dangerous low ball from the left that Fellaini reached first at the near post but his improvised shot rolled agonisingly across the face of goal.

The home side thought they had scored in the 84th minute. Osman fed Fellaini on the right, and the Belgian’s low cross was left by both Pienaar and Cahill to reach Osman, whose shot was partially saved by Cech.

Cech, Ballack and Pienaar all stretched to reach the ball as it rolled towards the empty goal, with everything ultimately ending in the back of the net.

Amid wild celebration, the goal was chalked off for a marginal offside decision against Pienaar, although in any case the South African may have been adjudged to have fouled Cech, who had both hands on the ball before it was bundled in.

This result means Everton have now gone 21 games without a victory over Chelsea, the longest unbeaten run by any club against the Goodison outfit.

But that the home supporters left the ground with a sense of regret illustrated it’s a statistic that could easily have been consigned to history last night.