Manchester United drew yet another league match at Old Trafford - but the overriding emotion at the final whistle was relief rather than frustration after Zlatan Ibrahimovic struck a stoppage-time penalty against Everton.
Home toil has become a familiar theme for Jose Mourinho during his first season in the hot-seat and Ronald Koeman's men looked set to compound matters in Tuesday's Premier League match.
Phil Jagielka's hooked first-half effort put Everton on course for a win that would have seen them usurp United in fifth place, only for second-half pressure to finally pay dividends in stoppage time as Ibrahimovic's penalty secured a dramatic 1-1 draw.
It was a remarkable end to an enthralling encounter in which United struggled to turn dominance into goals, like so many matches this term.
Everton captain Jagielka appeared to have struck the decisive blow with his first goal since May 2015, with Ander Herrera and Paul Pogba hitting the crossbar as the hosts looked to respond.
However, United's intent finally came good in stoppage time as second-half introduction Luke Shaw - just days after being publicly criticised by Mourinho - saw a goalbound shot handled, leading to Ashley Williams' sending off and Ibrahimovic's successful spot-kick.
Elsewhere, Leicester piled the misery on David Moyes and pushed Sunderland closer to relegation from the Premier League with a gritty 2-0 win.
Islam Slimani and Jamie Vardy scored to virtually guarantee the champions' own survival and cap a few days to forget for Black Cats boss Moyes.
The Scot's ill-advised comments to a BBC reporter had left him facing a Football Association charge but he is also now staring at relegation with the Wearside club.
Efficient but not effective, the visitors battled hard but the result leaves them bottom - eight points from safety with eight games left.
Leicester have now won six successive games in all competitions under boss Craig Shakespeare and have powered into the top 10 - to sit nine points clear of the bottom three and banish fears of the drop.
Defeat was hard on Sunderland but they came up short after Moyes came into the game under fresh fire following his comment that a BBC reporter might "get a slap" following an interview after their draw with Burnley last month.
Moyes apologised for what he said to Vicki Sparks and the Black Cats issued a statement to say his comments were "wholly inappropriate".
George Boyd's first-time finish put Burnley well on the way to Premier League safety as they ended an eight-match winless streak with victory over Stoke at Turf Moor.
Sean Dyche's Clarets had sunk back into the relegation story in recent weeks, having last tasted success against Leicester on January 31, but Boyd swept home his second of the season in the 58th minute, after good work from Jeff Hendrick, to earn a 1-0 win and some much-needed breathing space.
On 35 points with seven to play, Burnley have also overtaken their previous high watermark in the top flight - having gone down with 33 two years ago.
For Stoke it was a night of wasted opportunities, most notably Marko Arnautovic, who spurned a series of presentable chances with uncharacteristically sloppy footwork.
Troy Deeney scored his 100th league goal for Watford as the 10-man Hornets climbed to ninth in the Premier League with a 2-0 win over West Brom.
M'Baye Niang's stunning early strike put Watford in front at Vicarage Road before Deeney doubled his side's advantage with a scruffy finish soon after half-time.
Hornets defender Miguel Britos was shown a second yellow card for bringing down Salomon Rondon with 25 minutes left but the hosts held on to register back-to-back league victories for only the third time this season.
The result means Watford sit seven points behind eighth-placed West Brom in the table, although the Baggies have played one game fewer.
Perhaps more importantly, Walter Mazzarri's men are now 10 points clear of the relegation zone and while yet to reach the hallowed 40-point mark, they can realistically start planning for a third consecutive season in the top flight.
