Everton offered the fight that their fans demanded, but for all the honest endeavour of ten men holding on they headed back to Merseyside on Saturday night slumped in the relegation zone.
Sean Dyche reiterated his belief that the only table that counts is the one at the end of the season, but the sober reality is that there are stressful weeks to come.
A second yellow card for Mason Holgate saw them cling on at the disjointed climax to a dour encounter, and when it comes to clinging on to hope supporters may focus on a robust 90 minutes from the returning Dominic Calvert-Lewin.