Liverpool do not require favours to secure the Premier League title but their neighbours gave them one anyway. Everton denied Arsenal the victory they needed to maintain extremely thin hopes of challenging the league leaders courtesy of Iliman Ndiaye’s penalty.

Leandro Trossard put Mikel Arteta’s visitors on course for a win their overall display just about deserved but a soft second-half spot-kick, awarded for a fall by Myles Lewis-Skelly into Jack Harrison, enabled Everton to secure a fifth draw in six Premier League matches. The upshot is that Arne Slot’s side need only 11 points from their final eight games to seal Liverpool’s 20th league championship. Arsenal can have no complaints over the destiny of this season’s title.

Everton 1-1 Arsenal: Premier League – live reaction

Arteta attributed a changed team selection to fitness issues after the win over Fulham on Tuesday. There was no doubt, however, that this Tuesday’s Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid was on his mind and his priority, with Bukayo Saka, Martin Ødegaard, Gabriel Martinelli and Thomas Partey all on the bench.

Moyes made three changes from Wednesday’s Merseyside derby defeat at Anfield in a bid to freshen up Everton for the early kick-off. One was enforced, with Vitalii Mykolenko absent with an ankle problem, and in the absence of any other left-backs Nathan Patterson made a first start under his fellow Scot out of position. Both teams looked a little disjointed and so did the game.

The finest moment of a scrappy opening, in which set pieces offered the best hope for the two teams, was the tribute to the former Arsenal and Everton forward Kevin Campbell. The entire stadium stood to applaud when the late striker’s face appeared on the giant screens inside Goodison in the ninth minute. Members of Campbell’s family were in attendance to witness the affection that both sets of supporters have for a much-missed character, who died last year aged 54.

Jordan Pickford saves from Gabriel Martinelli at Goodison Park. Photograph: Robbie Jay Barratt/AMA/Getty Images

Trossard decided this fixture in Arsenal’s favour last season and carried their main threat again in a central role. The Belgium international was denied by a superb Jarrad Branthwaite challenge when breaking into the box following a James Tarkowski mistake. Ten minutes later he profited from a mix-up between Branthwaite and Idrissa Gueye to drive the visitors into the lead.

Everton were on the attack when Gueye, under pressure from Declan Rice, miscued a header straight to Raheem Sterling, who had been left by the Everton central defender as he chased a ball that was never his. Sterling sprinted through the Everton half unchallenged before finding Trossard, who swept a low shot between the legs of the recovering Jake O’Brien and inside the unsighted Jordan Pickford’s far corner.

Trossard had a chance to double Arsenal’s advantage when released clear behind the home defence by Jakub Kiwior’s long ball in first-half stoppage time. The striker just evaded Tarkowski’s risky challenge from behind, and could have had a penalty if contact had been made, before poking a shot against Pickford at point-blank range.

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Saka and Martinelli were introduced for Ethan Nwaneri and Sterling respectively at the start of the second half but Arsenal’s lead vanished before they worked up a sweat. Everton were handed an equaliser from the penalty spot when Lewis-Skelly tumbled into Harrison as they contested a Pickford clearance towards the Arsenal area.

The offence, if it could be called that, commenced outside the box with the full-back leaning into Harrison and briefly grabbing his shirt. The pair went down inside the area and referee Darren England, after a brief pause, pointed to the spot. England’s decision was backed up by the video assistant referee to allow Ndiaye, Everton’s brightest outlet on his first start in six weeks, to send David Raya the wrong way with a cool, confident penalty.

Raya saved at his near post from Abdoulaye Doucouré as Everton pressed for a swift second but it was Arsenal who enjoyed the better of the second half. Pickford pushed away a powerful free-kick from Rice, tipped over brilliantly from Trossard, who was then penalised for a push on Branthwaite, and made another fine save when Martinelli skipped inside O’Brien and aimed for the top corner. Ødegaard and Mikel Merino also missed decent chances as Arsenal’s dropped more points in what has always been a forlorn pursuit of Liverpool.