Swansea City 1-1 Everton

Goal line replays showed the ball crossed the line for Everton's goal after rebounding off Swansea's Kyle Naughton just before half-time

Everton boss Sam Allardyce praised Wayne Rooney's midfield performance as they picked up a point against Swansea City.

The 32-year-old had reacted angrily after being substituted just after half-time in the Toffees' goalless Merseyside derby draw against Liverpool on 7 April.

Despite a dominant start from Swansea, during which they had two shots cleared off the line, a Kyle Naughton own goal put Everton ahead.

Swansea kept control however, and their pressure paid off as Jordan Ayew levelled with a cool finish from inside the box.

"Wayne only had one shot but his contribution in possession was getting us moving forward better than our other midfield players and I was pleased with him," Allarydce told BBC Sport.

"I was pleased with everybody's effort but I think everyone's performance could have been better. Defensively we were very good today."

Allardyce highlighted Swansea's performance at the Liberty Stadium, where they are unbeaten in their past six Premier League games, as well as that of Toffees keeper Jordan Pickford.

"We want to pass the ball better and should have done. but the fighting spirit of a team at the bottom you have to deal with," he continued.

"We held our own and it could have been a different story. I'm sure Swansea are saying they should have won it and perhaps they should but our keeper takes some beating."

Seamus Coleman hit the bar for Everton late on, but the visitors' display prompted fury from their fans, who called for Allardyce to be sacked.

The draw keeps the Toffees ninth in the Premier League and, although the Swans drop one place to 17th, they are now five points clear of the bottom three thanks to Southampton's defeat by Chelsea.

Swansea edge closer to survival

Carlos Carvalhal has won eight of his 19 games in charge of Swansea City

Swansea were four points adrift at the bottom of the league before manager Carlos Carvalhal's appointment in December but they had moved four points above the relegation places.

However, they had plateaued a little having failed to win their previous three league games - and their season's tally of 75 shots on target remained the lowest in the division.

Carvalhal sought to address that issue with an attacking line-up which included recalls for top scorer Ayew - back from suspension - and winger Luciano Narsingh.

Their returns gave Swansea more pace and dynamism, helping the hosts set a fast tempo as they made a purposeful start to the game.

Ayew had a shot cleared off the line by Leighton Baines and, after Federico Fernandez's header was similarly blocked by Cenk Tosun from the corner, Ayew's clever flick set up his brother Andre for a shot which was saved by Jordan Pickford.

It was a busy afternoon for the Everton keeper but the longer Swansea allowed their long spells of pressure to continue without turning them into goals, the likelier it seemed they would come to rue their inability to convert their chances.

Despite conceding against the run of play, however, the Swans kept their foot on the throttle and peppered the Everton goal until their pressure bore fruit as Ayew struck his 11th goal of the season.

Carvalhal's men pushed for a winner and, although Huddersfield's late winner against Watford consigned the Swans to 17th in the table, this point could prove precious in their bid for survival.

Everton fans turn on Allardyce

While the spectre of relegation has all but vanished for Everton, there has been a creeping sense of discontent forming at Goodison Park.

Fans have become unhappy with the prosaic playing style under Allardyce, and there was little to quicken the pulse from his side here.

The visitors were fortunate not to fall behind in the first half but, at least when their first chance arrived, they took it.

On a rare counter-attack, Coleman's clipped cross found Yannick Bolasie unmarked at the back post and, although he and Idrissa Gueye both had shots saved by Lukasz Fabianski in quick succession, the ball bounced up and hit an unsuspecting Naughton before going in.

If that seemed like a false reprieve, it did not seem to fool Everton's fans, who expressed their displeasure with a string of derogatory chants about their team and manager.

And once Ayew equalised, the travelling supporters turned their fury specifically towards Allardyce, calling for his sacking after yet another uninspiring display.

Man of the match - Jordan Ayew

Swansea's top scorer created several chances in an energetic, inventive performance, which he capped with an excellent goal

'We deserved more'

Swansea City boss Carlos Carvalhal, speaking to BBC Sport: "We played well enough to win and we did enough to. We tried to help the players to win and made substitutions to do that.

"We were the better team on the pitch against an organised team who were very combative.

"We deserved more than what we achieved, we had a great game. We believe we'll get the points to stay up.

"Like all teams we were lucky and the first goal in games like this is is important."

Everton boss Sam Allardyce, speaking to BBC Sport: "We've come here and got the lead and dug out a point. It was a battling point, no doubt.

"There are teams fighting at the bottom and Swansea showed a lot spirit.

"Seamus Coleman could have won it but when you get a point away from home you have to respect it in the Premier League.

"It's not the best performance but it moves us on. Our home form is our mainstay, we've been brilliant there this season."

Stats - Swansea extend unbeaten run at the Liberty Stadium

• Swansea have only lost one of their last eight Premier League meetings with Everton (W2 D5), with the Swans unbeaten in their last four at Liberty Stadium (W1 D3).

• Swansea City have conceded 13 own goals in the Premier League since 2014-15; five more than any other side.

• Since keeping two clean sheets in December, Everton have conceded in each of their last seven Premier League games on the road.

• Jordan Ayew has scored in three of his last four Premier League games at Liberty Stadium, including of his last two.

• In fact, Ayew has scored seven goals this season in the Premier League - equalling his best-ever tally from 2015-16.

• Tom Carroll recorded his fourth Premier League assist of the season - double his tally from last season.

What's next?

Swansea City travel to face Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, 22 April (16:30 BST) before welcoming Chelsea six days later (17:30 BST).

Everton have an eight-day wait until their next match, when they take on Newcastle United at Goodison Park on Monday, 23 April (20:00 BST).