Hull City 2-2 Everton

Robert Snodgrass scored his sixth league goal of the season

Ross Barkley headed in a late equaliser for Everton against Hull, whose point was enough to move them off the bottom of the Premier League table.

The home side had taken the lead after just six minutes through captain Michael Dawson, who was unmarked inside the box and smashed in his third league goal of the season.

In response, Seamus Coleman headed against the post, before the Toffees levelled on the stroke of half-time as goalkeeper David Marshall punched the ball into his own net from Kevin Mirallas's corner.

Marshall brilliantly tipped Romelu Lukaku's drive on to the crossbar in the second half, before Robert Snodgrass curled a free-kick into the top corner, having struck the bar from a similar situation just minutes before.

Relive Hull 2-2 Everton as it happened

Hull remain in trouble

Manager Mike Phelan will feel the game was a missed opportunity to give Hull a lift towards their target of Premier League safety. The draw moves them up one place to 19th, but they are still three points away from moving out of the relegation zone.

Hull twice took the lead but their defensive vulnerabilities came to the fore in the closing stages as Barkley was allowed a free header for his goal.

It means the East Yorkshire side have now conceded 41 goals this season, a joint-league high alongside fellow strugglers Swansea.

They have also failed to keep a clean sheet at the KCOM Stadium this term and have collected just one win from their last 17 games.

With the January transfer window about to open, Phelan will be looking to bring in reinforcements, while also hoping to hold on the impressive Snodgrass.

Ageing Everton falter in defence

Ronald Koeman's side continued to show the inconsistency that has been a factor of their season.

They had won two out of their three matches before this game - yet before that, had picked up just one victory from 10 fixtures.

Like opponents Hull, they displayed defensive issues once again - Koeman's team have managed only four clean sheets in 19 Premier League matches under his leadership.

A centre-back will be on the list of priorities for the manager as Phil Jagielka, 34, looked to struggle at times.

The 35-year-old Gareth Barry - who came close with a drive in the first half - lasted 65 minutes, and it remains to be seen whether a transfer window move for Manchester United midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin materialises.

Everton could have won it late on but substitute Dominic Calvert-Lewin headed wide from a couple of yards out and the point leaves them in seventh, six points adrift of sixth-placed United, who host Middlesbrough on Saturday.

Man of the match - Robert Snodgrass (Hull)

The best player on the pitch provided a moment of brilliance with a superb free-kick. He provided 12 crosses for his team-mates, more than any other player.

'The team showed good spirit'

Hull boss Mike Phelan, speaking to BBC Sport about almost losing at the end: "That's the nature of the beast. We play well and we get beat. I'm pleased. For three or four weeks we've put in a shift and got nothing. We could be greedy and ask for more but I'm proud of the players.

"Robert Snodgrass has shown his quality on his free-kicks this season. We need those things. The top league demands top players to score top goals.

"We need more goals from all areas. We need to tighten up. We have a lot of work to do. It's now a case of trying to bring people in and give us a chance going forward."

Everton boss Ronald Koeman told BBC Sport: "I'm really pleased tonight about our performance. I wasn't happy with our slow start but we showed a really good attitude and reaction twice.

"We played good football and created a lot of opportunities. We could have stopped the first goal but not the second. The team showed good spirit. We created maybe the most chances today."

Analysis

Former England defender Danny Mills on BBC Radio 5 live:

Hull boss Mike Phelan will be thinking what could have been. They took the lead twice and threw it away to a free header.

Overall, it was a thoroughly entertaining game. It was was scrappy and frantic at times but a draw is a fair result.

Robert Snodgrass was excellent, but not just for his set pieces, but his all-round play too.

Ross Barkley came up with a fantastic header for the equaliser, but striker Romelu Lukaku was kept quiet.

What next?

Hull start 2017 when they travel to face West Brom in the league on 2 January (kick-off 15:00 GMT), while Everton host Southampton at the same time.

Marshall's curse

• Hull have gone 21 matches without a clean sheet in all competitions - their worst run since January 1991 (22 games).

• Robert Snodgrass has been involved in 50% of Hull's Premier League goals this season (six goals, two assists).

• Snodgrass and Stoke's Xherdan Shaqiri have both scored two direct free-kicks - no player has scored more this season.

• No Premier League side this season have scored more headed goals than Everton (nine).

• No Premier League defender has scored more goals this season than Hull's Michael Dawson (three).

• David Marshall has now played 14 Premier League games for Hull without a clean sheet. Only two goalkeepers have played more games for a Premier League club before keeping a clean sheet - Julian Speroni at Crystal Palace (16 games) and John Ruddy at Norwich (20 games).