As Everton's fans applauded their players on the final whistle a sense of what might have been will have filled the stands and the dugout.
The performance at the City Ground was so different to so much of what has gone before when the Blues have left Goodison Park. For the first hour a display of bite and ferocity laid the foundation for what would have been a vital three points at the bottom end of the table.
Yet familiar enemies - a lack of ruthlessness, strength in depth, a controversial decision and composure - once again conspired to undermine the Blues' survival bid. And after Brennan Johnson's late equaliser it was Nottingham Forest that looked more likely to land the knockout blow.
