The sight of Jordan Pickford on his knees in furious celebration with just seconds of stoppage time left told Liverpool's goalless story here at Goodison Park.
On another day, the chances carved out by Jurgen Klopp 's men would have been enough to win more than a few Premier League games, but instead, they were forced to settle for a share of the spoils thanks, largely, to the efforts of England's No.1 goalkeeper.
Having expertly turned over what would have been a stunning effort from Darwin Nunez in the first half, the Blues shot-stopper's one-man crusade to deny the visitors went into overdrive in the second as he kept out four attempts from Roberto Firmino, another from Nunez and one from Fabinho. It was the last-gasp tip onto the post to foil Mohamed Salah that brought about the aggressive shaking of the fists.
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It was at that point the goalkeeper evidently knew he'd done enough to deny a team who have so often tormented him during his time on Merseyside. It was no wonder a beaming Pickford was at pains to stress he did in fact get a touch on it in the post-match mixed zone.
A total of 23 shots saw Liverpool register eight of them target but there was simply no way past a player who has, for a number of reasons, made himself arguably the biggest pantomime villain of the Jurgen Klopp era. One suspects the Sunderland native more than revels in that reputation.
But it would be wrong to paint the 241st Merseyside derby as an unsuccessful onslaught from Klopp's men. Both teams tried to win and a draw was a fair result. Given that is now the ninth of the last 11 here, it is neither a shock nor a calamity for the Reds. Viewed on its own merits, at least.
In the wider picture, however, something doesn't quite seem right for the Reds just now. There are a myriad of reasons for why they have not come out of the traps in typically swashbuckling fashion - chiefly an injury crisis that is mercifully starting to subside - but a month into the campaign and Liverpool find themselves with more draws than victories and they have already tasted defeat at Manchester United.
Viewed in a harsh light, they look a pale imitation of the team who swept aside so many who opposed them last season. They now trail early-season pace-setters Arsenal by six points and the Gunners have a game in hand.
This was the first time they have failed to score in a Premier League game since defeat at Leicester in late December and while they can at least point to Pickford's excellence for that as the primary reason, something is not clicking.
The intensity levels, the running figures and the goals for column - that hammering of Bournemouth aside - have all significantly dipped well below what we have become accustomed to. Liverpool seem to have mislaid their identity at some point over the summer months.
Given the dominance that they have enjoyed in this fixture over the last decade and the fact that a busy transfer deadline day awaited both clubs on Thursday after respective midweek fixtures, it was understandable why derby fever had not exactly gripped the city this week.
Thankfully, that ambivalence disappeared the closer the fixture got to kick-off and the noise that greeted the arrival of the teams just before 12.30pm on Saturday lunchtime was proof that this all still matters deeply.
Klopp's team news was something of a surprise as he selected a midfield three of Fabinho, Harvey Elliott and Fabio Carvalho behind Nunez, whose recall from suspension was immediate. In a fixture often defined by the combative nature of the midfield fight, the selection of nimble ball-players like Elliott and Carvalho was a bold choice from the Reds manager.
And it was one that struggled to get going in the opening half as the visitors failed to create any real chances before Nunez forced Pickford into the first of a number of superb saves with an arching volley before Luis Diaz struck the inside of the post in the same sequence of play.
Nunez spent most the first half on the periphery of the game, struggling for time and space and starving for service, but his peach of an effort shortly before half time deserved more and would have marked a memorable derby debut had it not been for the 'keeper's intervention.
Klopp sent on Roberto Firmino for Carvalho for the second period and the visitors suddenly looked a much more fluent operation. The Brazilian was neat and tidy and kept his side on the front foot in Everton's third of the pitch to mark a much-improved display after the restart.
Having started the season in sluggish fashion, Firmino has reasserted his enduring importance to the cause in recent weeks and the in-form No.9 deserved to have registered his maiden Merseyside derby goal after his introduction.
First, a low drive was saved before a header from the resulting corner was palmed away. Fabinho then brought out another save before Firmino was thwarted once more.
But it wasn't just the Everton goalkeeper who displayed his class. A Demarai Gray counter-attack down the left gave new signing Neil Maupay a perfect chance to make himself an instant hero but Alisson Becker did enough before the game's controversial moment arrived with just over 20 minutes of normal time remaining.
Maupay's flashed effort across the face was tapped home by Conor Coady from two yards out before a lengthy, nerve-shredding VAR review decreed that the former Liverpool defender had in fact strayed marginally offside.
Having already sent on James Milner and Andy Robertson for Trent Alexander-Arnold and Kostas Tsimikas, Joel Matip and Diogo Jota were then summoned as Liverpool pushed for their second late winner of the week. And after Firmino was again repelled, Pickford saved his best for last as Salah's 95th-minute effort was tipped on to the post. Cue those wild celebrations.
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