Arsenal may have left Goodison Park feeling as though they had salvaged something last night, but Robin van Persie’s equalising goal deep into stoppage time served only to paper over the cracks in a team who might have their work cut out finishing in the Champions League places this season, even if they refuse to believe — misguidedly, many would say — that the title is beyond their reach.

Arsène Wenger’s team were 30 seconds from a sixth defeat of another disappointing league campaign when Van Persie rammed the ball home in the third minute of time added on, but even a 1-1 draw against an Everton side who should count themselves desperately unfortunate not to have won left Arsenal eight points adrift of Manchester United, the league leaders, and, perhaps more tellingly, five points behind Aston Villa in fourth.

“A point is never enough because you always play for three, but it was a difficult game and I maintain that Everton are as big a threat for us as Aston Villa for a top-four place,” Wenger said. He may say that Arsenal can still win the title, but that remark sounded very much like a man with his eyes on a consolation prize.

Arsenal were poor, Everton excellent. If not for one lapse of concentration from an otherwise exceptional all-English defence, David Moyes’s team would be sitting only two points behind the North London club. As it is, they trail them by five and Villa by ten, which, as Moyes pointed out, is a “long way to make up”.

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With the Everton manager indicating last night that the two loan signings he was hoping to make had fallen through, raising the prospect of him being unable to bolster a much-depleted attack, his side’s task is unlikely to get any easier.

In the absence of Yakubu Ayegbeni, Louis Saha and James Vaughan, however, Tim Cahill has been doing a mighty impression of a centre forward and the Australian’s fourth league goal in seven matches — and 100th in English football — in the 61st minute almost earned Everton their first win against one of the “big four” sides for nearly two years.

Van Persie had other ideas, though, and reacted quickest to Abou Diaby’s through-ball to shoot into the far corner. Moyes believed that the danger should have been averted — Steven Pienaar had needlessly conceded possession — before Diaby found his team-mate. “We lost a point against Villa, we’ve dropped two tonight and those points would have been crucial as we’re still just outside it,” Moyes said.

Both teams were unbeaten in eight matches in all competitions, but Arsenal looked desperately out of sorts. Everton did not create much either, but were quicker to everything, more tenacious in the tackle and unwilling to sit on their lead.

Moyes deserves enormous credit for taking his side up to the heights of sixth without three of his four strikers. There were times in the thick fog of the first half when Everton looked very much the makeshift unit going forward that they are, but with Cahill ever the willing runner, a breakthrough always seemed possible. He had erred moments before scoring when he fired into the side-netting after a sudden burst of pace took him away from two defenders in the penalty area, but it is with his head that he is often the most dangerous and so it proved when he rose above Gaël Clichy to head home Leighton Baines’s fine cross. “He has that ability whether he plays in midfield or up front to score and that’s what makes him a special talent,” Moyes said.

Other than Van Persie and Denilson firing wide, Arsenal had offered nothing in the first period and there was only marginal improvement in the second. They were clearly lacking the drive provided by Cesc Fàbregas and it is no surprise to see why Wenger craves the wit of Andrei Arshavin. Only when Van Persie was on the ball did they look a threat and the Dutchman teed up Denilson beautifully in the 51st minute, but the Brazilian shot hopelessly over with his left foot from the edge of the “D”.

Everton (4-4-1-1): T Howard — A Hibbert, P Jagielka, J Lescott, L Baines — L Osman, P Neville, M Arteta, S Pienaar — M Fellaini — T Cahill. Substitutes not used: C Nash, J Yobo, S Castillo, J Rodwell, L Jutkiewicz, V Anichebe, D Gosling. Booked: Arteta, Hibbert.

Arsenal (4-4-2): M Almunia — B Sagna, W Gallas, J Djourou, G Clichy — Denilson, A Song, A Diaby, S Nasri — E Adebayor, R van Persie. Substitutes not used: L Fabianski, K Touré, C Vela, A Ramsey, N Bendtner, E Eboué, K Gibbs. Booked: Diaby, Nasri.

Referee: A Marriner.