In a bruising battle between fifth and sixth in the Barclays Premiership, Kevin Davies deservedly struck the opener for Bolton who dominated the opening half hour at the Reebok Stadium.

But their lead was shortlived as Everton hit back in the 33rd minute, with 18-year-old James Vaughan grabbing the equaliser for his second goal in four days after finding the net in Friday's 4-1 win over Fulham.

The result keeps both sides on course for a place in the UEFA Cup, yet Bolton will have a bigger prize in mind as they visit Arsenal on Saturday.

A victory at the Emirates Stadium would lift them up to fourth place, and make the race for the final Champions League spot an enthralling affair to the bitter end of the season.

Remarkably for Allardyce, the first period was a mirror image of Saturday's 3-1 win at Wigan as his side controlled proceedings for the opening 30 minutes and had the cushion of Davies' seventh goal this season.

However, Allardyce - like Latics manager Paul Jewell at the JJB Stadium - will have headed into the break bewildered at how the Toffees were on level terms.

Allardyce had bemoaned the fact Moyes' side had enjoyed an extra 24 hours to recover as Everton had played on Friday.

A 4-1 Goodison Park victory over Fulham put pressure on Wanderers to respond, but they did so emphatically, coming from a goal down to beat Wigan 3-1.

Yet Bolton certainly did not appear a team who had played 48 hours previously as they were on the front foot from the whistle, appearing the more determined, accomplished side.

There was a chance for Abdoulaye Meite in the second minute, but the centre-back was underneath a header that ballooned over the bar after Lee Carsley had inadvertently flicked on a right-wing free-kick from Bolton captain Gary Speed.

El-Hadji Diouf then used his hand in steering goalwards a flick on from Nicolas Anelka to a long throw from Ivan Campo, back in the side after serving a two-match suspension.

In fairness to Everton, Tim Howard had not been troubled up until Davies' opener, even if Bolton had enjoyed the lion's share of the play.

But the American was beaten in the 18th minute as Joleon Lescott failed to match the stride of his team-mates who deployed the offside trap to a Campo free-kick 15 yards inside the Everton half.

Left-back Lescott played onside a number of players, in particular Davies who chested down Campo's lofted ball before turning sharply and driving a left-foot volley from 10 yards past Howard.

At that stage it was Everton who looked leaden-footed, yet they were fortuitously back on level terms just after the half hour.

Leon Osman's industry in midfield allowed him to play in Vaughan on the edge of the area, with his initial effort blocked by the legs of Nicky Hunt and Meite.

However, the ball ricocheted back into his path and from 15 yards he drilled a low left-foot drive underneath the advancing Jussi Jaaskelainen.

Speed, again skippering the side in the absence of the suspended Kevin Nolan, picked up a yellow card for his protestations at an apparent infringement he felt he had witnessed, but obviously not spotted by referee Martin Atkinson.

Following that, Everton could even have headed into the break with the lead, only for Andrew Johnson to fire an 18-yard drive into the welcoming arms of Jaaskelainen who smothered the chance.

There were a couple of niggly moments - with challenges from Diouf and Davies on Phil Neville and Howard respectively - but nothing Atkinson could not handle, and adding to the spice of an eagerly-contested game.

The intensity increased after the break, with Bolton holding sway early on before an injury to Vaughan just after the hour brought Everton out of their shell.

The youngster was taken off on a stretcher with what appeared to be a damaged left ankle after connecting with a blocking Abdoulaye Faye in attempting to strike a half-volley on the edge of the area.

In the moments that followed James Beattie's 63rd-minute arrival, Everton laid siege to the Bolton goal, only to be denied by a host of players who threw their bodies in the way of anything the visitors could muster.

Bolton weathered the storm, and it was a measure of how much the defences dominated from that point that neither Jaaskelainen nor Howard were called upon to make any kind of save.