New Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner watched from the stand as substitute Amadou Onana grabbed Everton a crucial late equaliser in a 1-1 draw at Goodison Park.
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Jordan Ayew's 66th-minute opener for Palace was greeted with a beaming smile from the former Eintracht Frankfurt coach, who was announced as Roy Hodgson's successor less than three hours' before kick-off.
But Onana came off the bench to nod home from an 84th-minute corner to snatch a point and lift Everton out of the bottom three on goal difference.
Defeat would have been calamitous for Sean Dyche's side, but the draw meant Palace - with just two wins in their last 14 EPL matches - were denied a victory that would have pulled them eight points clear of the relegation zone.
Assistant managers Paddy McCarthy and Ray Lewington took charge for the game after Hodgson, who was hospitalised after falling ill at training on Thursday, confirmed his decision to step down earlier in the day.
McCarthy said Glasner would have seen plenty to excite him in Palace's performance.
"He's seen a team with spirit and commitment to the cause," McCarthy said.
"It's a good point in the right direction at a difficult place to come.
"(Glasner) is a manager with great pedigree, a European winner. He is coming into a group that I'm sure he will enjoy working with.
"It is a positive move for the football club and one I'm sure will excite the fans."
No announcement has been made on the future of McCarthy, a former Palace captain, and Lewington - but if this was their last involvement they did their former boss proud with an organised performance after days of uncertainty.
Everton were far from their best and the returning Abdoulaye Doucoure, making only his second appearance in 12 matches after injury, looked rusty - not least when he somehow failed to convert from six yards.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin was also culpable, missing headers in either half which he would have buried at the height of his powers as his goalless run stretched to 19 games.
The encounter was lit up when Ayew broke the deadlock with a superb long-range strike, but mounting Everton pressure was rewarded when Onana equalised six minutes from time.
Everton manager Sean Dyche bemoaned his side's wasted chances but felt the point was a valuable one.
"It's another point on the board and we've just popped out of the relegation zone," he said.
"But there were chances - we've got to start taking them. There were a couple of golden chances we didn't take."
Australian Associated Press
