Reality check for McFadden as Goodison is united in grief

Events before Everton's Goodison Park tussle with Blackburn Rovers, though, provided a stark and painful reminder that — as McFadden pointed out — football is far from the be-all and end-all some make it out to be.

McFadden kept his celebrations after Everton's equaliser low key

Standing on the touchline, Melanie and Stephen Jones and son Owen fought back tears as the famous old stadium shared in their grief by staging a minute's applause to celebrate the life of youngest son, Rhys, 11, murdered last Wednesday.

The horrifying nature of his shooting has shaken Merseyside, in particular those players whom Rhys had idolised. Little wonder, then, that McFadden dedicated the strike which cancelled out Roque Santa Cruz's opener to his memory.

McFadden is one of the more introverted members of David Moyes' playing staff and would happily eschew the spotlight but, on this occasion, he felt compelled to talk and articulated the thoughts of the home dressing room after rescuing a point.

"It was hard to start with and it shook us up," said McFadden. "We've had silences and applause before for people who have been killed in Iraq.

"But this was for an 11-year-old boy walking home from a game of football who was gunned down. It's an absolute tragedy. It shakes you up when you see his picture up on the board, especially if you have kids yourself."

When McFadden was married earlier this summer, he and wife Gillian asked guests to make donations to the neonatal unit at Wishaw General in Scotland, where their 15-month old son James was cared for following his premature birth, rather than buy presents.

"It puts everything into perspective, really," said the striker. "It was hard at the start of the game because you couldn't put it to the back of your mind. Hopefully, we've put on a decent enough performance for his family.

"I've got a wee boy and you want to see your kids grow up. I know it's not going to comfort them. At the end of the day, it's only a game of football. But he was passionate about his football, so it was nice to sneak a point for him in the end."

Having been given the runaround for much of the first half, Everton just about deserved the point which McFadden secured in the 78th minute, darting in between Christopher Samba and Stephen Warnock to volley home Mikel Arteta's cross.

Yet such an outcome had looked unlikely at the interval. Blackburn played with pace and panache to make a mockery of Arsene Wenger's suggestions that their approach is overzealous.

Morten Gamst Pedersen and David Bentley caused havoc on the flanks, David Dunn excelled alongside Robbie Savage, while Santa Cruz was outstanding and took his third goal in four games with great aplomb after Pedersen had struck the woodwork.

It was a performance that left manager Mark Hughes convinced that his side will prove a menace to all this year and he expects to see further improvement in the coming weeks, particularly if Santa Cruz continues in the same vein.

"We've had one home league game and two difficult away games and we've shown some great signs that we are going to have a decent season," Hughes noted.

"We've got to maintain it, obviously, because it is a long old season but on occasions we showed what a good football side we are. I'm pleased with the signs I've seen in the team and the squad and we'll get better."

Teams who rely simply on brute force do not contribute to spectacles such as this and there was much to admire about the way Blackburn passed the ball.

"Both teams wanted to play and have a go," Hughes added. "They were committed and nobody made a big meal of good challenges in midfield. People just bounced up and it was better because of it."

Had it not been for Tim Howard, Blackburn would have been out of sight, the pick of his saves being a flying stop to repel a thunderous drive from Dunn before the half hour, and he somehow got his fingertips to a Pedersen free-kick in injury time.

EVERTON (4-4-2): Howard 7; Hibbert 5 (Anichebe 64min, 6), Stubbs 5 (Lescott 46, 6), Yobo 7, Baines 7; Arteta 7, Carsley 6 (Jagielka 42, 7), Neville 6, Osman 6; Johnson 5, McFadden 8.

BLACKBURN (4-4-2): Friedel 7; Emerton 7, Ooijer 6, Samba 7, Warnock 7; Pedersen 7, Savage 6, Dunn 7 (Mokoena 86), Bentley 7; McCarthy 5 (Derbyshire 74, 7), Santa Cruz 8 (Roberts 90).

Booked: Ooijer, Pedersen.

Referee: Mike Riley.