A TWENTY man scuffle at the Riverside Stadium highlighted exactly what finishing fourth in the Premiership means to Middlesbrough and Everton as they scrapped to share the spoils yesterday.

Boro looked on course to leapfrog fifth-placed Liverpool and close the eight-point gap that separates them from a Champions League place after dynamic Dutchman Bolo Zenden exquisitely gave the home side a first half lead.

It was Zenden's first goal since November 20, his sixth of the campaign, and he was at the hub of most Middlesbrough attacks as he tried to drive the Teessiders to victory.

But Everton boss David Moyes, who had a touchline altercation with Steve McClaren in this fixture last season, took the decision to throw hot-tempered Scottish striker Duncan Ferguson into the mix with a little over quarter of an hour remaining.

The former Newcastle man's first touch was to tee Aussie midfielder Tim Cahill up for the equaliser with a cushioned header back across Mark Schwarzer's goal.

And then it was Ferguson, with the game heading for a draw, who left his foot in on Schwarzer as he fumbled a routine cross from ex-Sunderland winger Kevin Kilbane.

That sparked a mass melee inside the Middlesbrough net that only Schwarzer, laid on the floor, and Everton keeper Richard Wright were not involved in.

The unsavoury incident detracted from a keenly contested football match between two clubs clearly desperate to clinch European football next season; with the Champions League a possibility for both.

Having got back to winning ways last weekend, albeit at League Two side Notts County in the FA Cup, the need for Middlesbrough to continue in that form against Everton was a priority. So much so that McClaren had hailed yesterday's game as the biggest so far this season.

Three league defeats in four matches over the festive period were a cause for concern but if there was a good time to play the top-flight's surprise package then this was it.

Bereft of the influence of star midfielder Thomas Gravesen following the Dane's departure to Real Madrid, Everton could have done without the injury that also sidelined Moyes' only other creative spark, youngster Leon Osman.

But if the visitors had their problems Middlesbrough were just as unfortunate with a number of regulars missing, including Mark Viduka and Ray Parlour out through injury and suspension respectively.

And their misfortune worsened when Ugo Ehiogu's nightmare season continued to rumble on as he hobbled off yet again early in the first half with knee ligament damage.

Prior to Ehiogu's withdrawal, Everton could have gone ahead. A downward header from James Beattie had Schwarzer scampering across his goal and then the crossbar denied Lee Carsley after he met Kilbane's cross with a neat volley.

All Middlesbrough were able to conjure up inside the first 25 minutes was a Gareth Southgate header into the side-netting from a Stewart Downing corner.

The functional Everton side put together on a relatively tight shoe-string had managed to bring out a great degree of agitation from the Riverside Stadium's stands. But that was suddenly lifted by an opening goal that arrived against the run of play.

A perfectly weighted Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink through ball avoided being halted by full-back Tony Hibbert and Zenden was faced with just goalkeeper Wright, who had charged off his line, to beat.

The Dutch midfielder then delivered a piece of genius to lift his chip over Wright, with Alan Stubbs' efforts on the line only helping to force the ball high into the net.

Hasselbaink, with just two goals in his last 16 appearances, fired marginally over the bar as Middlesbrough relaxed, retained possession and sprayed the ball around with fluidity.

But the Southgate-led defence had to remain on high alert from the threat of Marcus Bent.

Bent, the scorer of the goal that separated the two sides at Goodison Park in September, always looked to beat his man and his shot on the turn just before half-time had to be parried by Schwarzer.

Everton's other striker, £6m January buy Beattie, had an ineffectual day and that was compounded when he was booked for hauling down Hasselbaink as he tried to run at the heart of the Toffees' defence.

From the resultant free-kick, that was initially blocked by the Blue wall, Zenden went close when his low drive was deflected just wide of Wright's right hand post. That opportunity arrived moments after Michael Reiziger's 30-yard blast was spilled by the Everton keeper for a corner.

Failure to convert possession into goals could have cost Boro - especially after Hasselbaink had a stinging drive held at the second time of asking by Wright.

Everton sensed midway through the second half that at least a point was there for the taking. Beattie hit a post after Schwarzer mishandled a Kilbane cross, and Cahill headed over before the away side equalised.

The introduction of Ferguson, for Joseph Yobo, had the desired effect and it rattled Middlesbrough's rearguard. The former Scotland striker played an integral part in the equalising goal.

Occupying a back post position, he headed Hibbert's deep centre back across goal and Cahill was on hand to sidefoot past Schwarzer with 14 minutes remaining.

That gave Everton the upper hand for a brief period but, after the 20-man altercation in Schwarzer's net, Middlesbrough responded and ended the game the strongly.

But they could not find the breakthrough that would have closed the gap between the two teams in the upper echelons of the Premiership.

Result: Middlesbrough 1 Everton 1.

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