If there was a crumb of consolation amid a welter of frustration for Everton last night, it came in the otherwise unnerving knowledge that the second leg of this first-round tie will take place far away from Merseyside. The Stade Maurice Dufrasne may be nicknamed “the cauldron” by Standard Liège supporters, but it could scarcely be any more terrifying for the Everton players than Goodison Park seems to be at present.

In a wretched start to the tie, the home side fell behind twice in the first half, with an own goal from Joseph Yobo summing up a calamitous defensive display that David Moyes, the manager, would describe, with characteristic understatement, as “poor”.

Yobo’s aberration, which put Standard 2-1 up ten minutes before half-time, was the eighth goal that Everton have conceded in three home matches, a sequence that they will be desperate to arrest when Liverpool visit Goodison Park a week tomorrow.

Moyes was happier with the character his team showed in fighting back with goals from Yakubu Ayegbeni and Segundo Castillo, on his home debut, but no doubt there were strong words in the dressing-room in the 50 minutes it took before he arrived at the post-match press conference. Yobo will have figured prominently in any inquest, along with Joleon Lescott, the England defender.

“Joleon is in a situation where he has maybe had a good game and then a not-so-good game, then a good game and then a not-so-good game,” Moyes said. “It’s important that we keep giving him confidence. The defending was poor. The game was open, far more open than we would have liked.”

At this point, belatedly, it should be stated that Standard, who came within two minutes of forcing a penalty shoot-out against Liverpool in the third qualifying round of the Champions League last month, are a very decent team who could hold their own in the Barclays Premier League. Powerful, aggressive, well-organised and, yes, talented, this time they departed from Merseyside feeling that victory is within their grasp.

Standard were so impressive in both legs against Liverpool that their outstanding player, Marouane Fellaini, joined Everton in a £15 million deal shortly before the transfer window closed. Now ineligible to play in the Uefa Cup, the Belgium midfield player had to content himself with a pre-match walkabout last night that earned him the applause of both sets of supporters, but, for much of a compelling first half, it was his new team-mates rather than his old friends who missed his presence.

Lescott, operating at left back, seemed to be favourite to reach the ball when Steven Defour sent a probing pass behind the defence in the ninth minute, but, while Lescott dawdled, Wilfried Dalmat raced ahead of him and crossed into the penalty area, where Dieumerci Mbokani was left with the straightforward task of beating the exposed Tim Howard.

Worse might have followed for Everton, with Axel Witsel having a goalbound shot blocked by Igor De Camargo, his team-mate, after the defence was cut open again, but Yakubu equalised in the 23rd minute, showing great agility to volley home Leon Osman’s pass. Standard regained the lead when Yobo, sent into a panic by another swift counter-attack, put Marcos Camozzato’s cross into the net. Again Everton equalised, Castillo scoring with a powerful 25-yard shot.

Both teams were a little more guarded in the second half, in which Victor Anichebe departed on a stretcher with an injury that Moyes said was “not as serious as it looked”.

In stoppage time, Dalmat fell in the Everton area under another heavy challenge by Lescott, but a penalty was not awarded. Moyes breathed a sigh of relief and stated confidently that his team could score the away goal they will need in Belgium. The more serious question, though, is whether their defence can keep things tight at the other end.

Everton (4-2-3-1): T Howard - P Neville, J Yobo, P Jagielka, J Lescott - S Castillo, L Osman - V Anichebe (sub: J Vaughan, 63min), T Cahill, M Arteta - Yakubu Ayegbeni. Substitutes not used: C Nash, L Baines, N Valente, J Rodwell, L Jutkiewicz, J Baxter.

Standard Liège (4-4-2): R Espinoza - M Camozzato, O Onyewu, M Sarr, Dante Bonfim - W Dalmat, S Defour, A Witsel, M Jovanovic - I De Camargo (sub: B Nicaise, 86), D Mbokani. Substitutes not used: J De Vriendt, R Goreux, TMikulic, M Ingrao, SToama, M González. Booked: Camozzato, Dante, Dalmat, Sarr.

Referee: G Gilewski (Poland).