Everton boss Roberto Martinez believes that his side's 1-1 draw with Stoke City this afternoon represents two dropped points in the club's hunt for a Champions League berth.

Leighton Baines converted a 90th-minute penalty for the Toffees to salvage a point after Oussama Assaidi had fired Mark Hughes's men into the lead early in the second half, with the Merseyside outfit one point adrift of the top four in the table.

"We see it as dropping two points," the Spaniard told reporters. "We knew Stoke had a good record at home. We knew it was going to be difficult.

"But given the circumstances, when you have a couple of shots cleared off the line, you feel it's not going to be your day so when you get an equaliser that late, you have to take it and move forward."

Everton host Queens Park Rangers in a third-round FA Cup clash at Goodison Park on Saturday.

Written by
Shane Callaghan