The blow of conceding a late equaliser at Leicester was bad enough, but Everton boss Roberto Martinez’s woes were compounded by the news that midfielder Ross Barkley could be out for the next five months.
The England star damaged the medial ligament in his right knee in training a day before their opening Premier League match at the King Power Stadium.
Everton will have to wait to find out the full extent of the damage, but Martinez knows he could be without one of his key players for a large chunk of the season.
The Toffees manager said: “He had a scan, but it was a bit difficult to determine the extent. With the swelling, we don’t really know how bad the injury is.
“We know it’s a partial tear, but that could be anything from seven weeks, and I’ve seen injuries like that take four or five months.
“Ross Barkley is a phenomenal footballer and we’re going to miss him, there’s no doubt about it. He was so sharp in pre-season, I thought he came back with a different approach.
“He was very unfortunate to (sustain the injury) through an innocuous challenge in training and now he’s going to be out for a long, long time.”
To add to Martinez’s misery, Everton were unable to secure three points after twice taking the lead.
Aiden McGeady’s exquisite curling finish put the visitors ahead in the 20th minute, but Championship winners Leicester hit back inside two minutes through record signing Leonardo Ulloa.
Steven Naismith struck a firm shot in off the bar just before half-time and that looked set to be the winning goal until substitute Chris Wood tucked away the equaliser in the 86th minute.
Leicester were prepared to sell Wood to Wolves before the deal fell through, but the striker proved his worth with the goal eight minutes after coming on as a substitute. Foxes boss Nigel Pearson, who confirmed he is still pursuing former Argentina international Esteban Cambiasso, said of Wood: “He’s staying here. I’ve spoken to him on a couple of occasions this week and he’s very happy to stay here and fight for his place.
“I’m pleased to have him here and for him to respond in the way he did speaks volumes for his ability to put things behind him and carry on.
“It can be unsettling for any individual to be involved in speculation surrounding their future, especially at his age.”
The hosts more than held their own in an even start and Tim Howard had two nervy moments, first flapping at a Anthony
Knockaert cross and then hesitating over a long ball and almost allowing Ulloa in. But it was Everton who opened the scoring in the 20th minute, exploiting a fortuitous deflection to the full.
Leighton Baines’ long-distance shot did not look set to pose any problems until it was half blocked on the edge of the area and fell for Sylvain Distin 15 yards out.
The defender’s shot was saved by Kasper Schmeichel, but the keeper could only watch as McGeady’s delightful effort from the left curled over him and into the top corner.
But back came Leicester and within two minutes they were level when Everton failed to clear a corner and record signing Ulloa repaid some of his transfer fee with a well-struck shot from the middle of the box.
But with the 45 minutes almost up, Naismith put the visitors back in front.
Baines and Steven Pienaar helped the ball in from the left and Naismith wrapped his left foot around it, sending a shot crashing in off the bar.
It was Riyad Mahrez who set up the equaliser, jinking his way to the edge of the box before firing in a shot that hit Phil Jagielka and fell to Wood. It was no more than Leicester deserved for their attacking intent.
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