Cardiff City 0 - 0 Everton

Battling Bluebirds earn vital point amid penalty controversy

Malky Mackay's Cardiff team produced a disciplined display to hold Everton, who were rightly aggrieved at not being awarded a first-half penalty

Cardiff City bagged another precious Premier League point as Everton were left to bemoan the penalty that never was.

Everton's first visit to the Welsh capital since September 1979 was mired in controversy when Leighton Baines fell under Gary Medel's 41st minute challenge.

As penalties go it belonged to the stonewall category, but referee Anthony Taylor simply waved play away much to the relief of the Chilean who had riskily gone to ground.

Ironically, Cheshire official Taylor was the man who had so irked Arsene Wenger on the opening day of the season when awarding Aston Villa two penalties at the Emirates Stadium.

On the back of that amazing 3-2 win over Manchester City, Bluebirds boss Malky Mackay named an unchanged team and adopted the same tactical game-plan.

Deny Everton space where it mattered and hit Fraizer Campbell, a two-goal hero last week, on the counter. And, just like seven days earlier, Cardiff were more dangerous after the break.

It wasn't enough to get all three points this time, but a draw against a well-drilled Everton side is not to be sniffed at and it maintains the Bluebirds' unbeaten home record.

The first half was a story of Everton possession and Cardiff resistance as the Bluebirds defended in numbers and seldom threatened.

When they did it was similar to the problems posed against Manchester City, the dead-ball delivery of Craig Bellamy and Peter Whittingham right on the money.

Tim Howard just about kept out a Whittingham corner arrowed in to his near-post after Aron Gunnarsson had proved a nuisance amid the penalty-box traffic.

But apart from Fraizer Campbell intercepting a Gunnarsson pass which was rolling into the path of Whittingham, that was as good as it got for Cardiff in the first period.

Everton were patient as befitting a Roberto Martinez side and carved out some decent chances, the impressive Ross Barkley seeing his shot blocked after a touch of Premier League class from Steven Pienaar.

Kevin Mirallas wasted two inviting headers when unmarked and after the Baines penalty incident Everton almost took the lead deep into first half stoppage time.

Pienaar played in Seamus Coleman down the right and Nikica Jelavic's header deflected off Ben Turner to wrongfoot David Marshall in the Cardiff goal.

But the Scot somehow twisted his body to keep the ball out and the scoreline blank at the interval.

The game opened up after the break with Jelavic stabbing wide a Barkley through ball but Cardiff were now more of an attacking force.

Kim Bo-kyung slid in Craig Bellamy after the Wales striker's run inside Baines had caught the England full-back napping, but the touch past Howard was too heavy.

Everton were still wary at set-pieces as the pace of the contest refused to die and Cardiff kept firm at the back, Baines firing wide from 25 yards their best sight of goal in the final quarter.