This felt very harsh on Everton after Carlo Ancelotti's team spent 88 minutes slugging it out with a Manchester United side that is seemingly impregnable on its travels.
Everton defended tigerishly, typical of the efforts which defeated the trio of Chelsea, Leicester City and Arsenal in the past 12 days, and had a handful of chances on the counter-attack.
They had done enough, it appeared, to reach penalties in a Carabao Cup quarter-final for the second successive season.
In fact, despite the second-half introductions of gun duo Marcus Rashford and Anthony Marital, United's attacking fire was doused in the closing stages.
Then, with two minutes remaining, Edinson Cavani shifted the ball onto his left foot and unleashed a shot which crashed into the bottom left corner.
Everton picked themselves off the floor and tried to summon a response.
But, right at the end of five added minutes, Rashford released Marital to settle the tie.
Gylfi Sigurdsson gave Harry Maguire the hurry up inside two minutes – the United defender mustering a hacked clearance under pressure – but it was Everton forced to weather an early storm.
Indeed, when Sigurdsson skipped into the box for a shot blocked by Maguire after 21 minutes, it represented Everton’s first attempt of note.
When Dean Henderson in United’s goal flew to his right to tip round an arcing Sigurdsson free-kick eight minutes before half-time, it felt like Everton were gaining a foothold.
Certainly, the tide of United pressure had been stemmed.
Back to the beginning, though. United were fast and sharp and full of terrific movement and in the opening 20 minutes had six shots.
The action for periods boiled down to a one-on-one shootout between Robin Olsen and Cavani.
United forward Cavani is never one who wants for confidence and at one point aimed a wild effort from halfway.
The rest of the time, though, he carried a live threat.
Yerry Mina had already intercepted at the near post to stop Cavani pouncing on Donny van de Beek’s square pass when the Colombian defender sustained an eye watering blow from his own goalkeeper.
Olsen did very well, in fact, to punch behind a devilish whipped corner from Alex Telles but caught his teammate on the bridge of the nose on the follow through.
The immediate concern for Everton lay in the prospect of defending the next corner with Mina spectating from the sideline.
They cleared it but United recycled the ball, Paul Pogba helping on Mason Greenwood’s pass for Van de Beek to blast at goal but find Seamus Coleman flying across to block.
The ubiquitous Mina flung himself in the way of a drive from the fast-advancing Bruno Fernandes, with Olsen beating Cavani to the spinning ball.
Olsen sidestepping Cavani in the interim, when a slip would have presented the Uruguayan with a tap-in, was a feat accomplished more by accident than design.
Brazilian Telles’ deliveries were a concern for Everton and one ball sent over from the left was met by the diving Greenwood for a header that brushed the outside of Olsen’s left post.
By that point, Olsen could reflect on a fabulous instinctive stop to deny Cavani.
Olsen saved routinely from the forward’s first drive at the near post.
The ball came back from the same right boot with alarming ferocity but Olsen’s extended left hand was enough to keep it from going past him.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin headed at Henderson from a Sigurdsson corner and Ben Godfrey raised the roof with a surge from left-back – swapping passes in turn with Richarlison and Sigurdsson – as Everton injected attacking thrust.
Olsen, though, needed to plunge to his right to grab a Fernandes free-kick shortly before half-time.
Richarlison ran into traffic after a terrific piece of play followed by a pass with the outside of the boot from Abdoulaye Doucoure early in the second half.
Olsen and Cavani then renewed hostilities.
Everton, though, would have felt very hard done by had Cavani’s blast beaten Olsen, the South American appearing to use his hand to control a lofted ball.
Richarlison really didn’t want to go off 10 minutes after half-time.
There was no alternative, though.
The Brazilian was nudged by Fernandes as he pursued a ball into United’s half but unaware of Bailly’s imminent arrival on the scene.
Richarlison, then, had no chance of evading the Ivorian’s boot, nor of bracing himself for the impact.
From the moment he sunk to the turf it was clear his night was over.
Bernard came on and was followed minutes later by Tom Davies, replacing Andre Gomes.
Fernandes skied an effort when in space 20 yards out but the early flood of chances for United had been replaced by a trickle.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer sought to rectify that by bringing on the rapid duo of Martial and Rashford, given a warm ovation from the 2,000 Evertonians momentarily forgetting allegiances.
As full-time approached, however, both teams were understandably cautious, still searching for a decisive goal but not hunting in big numbers.
Calvert-Lewin couldn't escape Bailly after a Sigurdsson pass and Sigurdsson headed wide after racing into the centre to meet an Iwobi delivery.
Cavani, though, took an excellent first touch when receiving the ball from Martial on the right, moving infield to send a thundering drive beyond Olsen and inside the far post.
Cenk Tosun came on for Abdoulaye Doucoure in Everton's final throw of the dice.
The home team piled bodies forward and won a couple of set-pieces, claimed by Henderson.
United, meanwhile, retained ambition on the counter.
Fernandes struck the top of the bar and Olsen saved from Rashford - before Rashford slipped in fellow substitute Martial for a cool finish with the final kick of the game.
Coleman Back In The Groove
Experience, knowledge and spirit were the virtues Seamus Coleman would bring to Everton’s team on his return from injury, according to Carlo Ancelotti.
Coleman last started 46 days ago – against the same opponents, in the Premier League – but you wouldn’t have known from the Irishman’s energetic performance.
We saw little in the way of attacking purpose from Coleman in the opening half but that was down to Manchester United’s purposeful and incisive football.
A large share of Coleman’s 327 Everton appearances before tonight were spent bombing up and down the right flank, every inch the current-day dynamic full-back.
Needs must, though, and during a run of unrelenting fixtures, Everton have adopted a policy of keeping their wide defenders on a leash.
Mason Holgate has filled the position of late and been faultless – and Coleman stepped back in without missing a beat.
There was one forward burst in the opening half, Coleman shrieking for the pass from Alex Iwobi.
The ball was marginally overhit and Coleman quickly retreated to his own half.
When he first came over from Ireland, 12 years ago next month, the question mark against Coleman was over his defensive instincts.
For a long while now, they have been among the best in England’s top flight.
Coleman anticipates danger as well as anyone and he read what was coming as Paul Pogba received a pass from Mason Greenwood and fed Donny van de Beek in the middle of Everton’s penalty area.
As the Dutchman drew back his boot, Coleman took off, putting his body between Van de Beek’s strike and the goal.
All that experience and knowhow was evident soon after the restart when Coleman made the task of stopping a Manchester United counter-attack look very easy indeed.
He didn’t stop there, dancing out of a tight spot and carrying the ball forwards to find Iwobi.
Another burst saw Coleman shrug off Alex Telles and dart into United’s penalty area. Dominic Calvert-Lewin, though, had drifted offside when the pass came.
Coleman didn't put a foot wrong all night and Cavani's late strike felt particularly cruel on Everton's deserving captain.
The outcome dictates this isn't a night any Evertonian will remember with any measure of affection.
There is little time to dwell on the result, however – just as the recent trio of victories have, by necessity, been swiftly consigned to history.
And Everton can reflect on the plus of having Coleman back and up to speed in the thick of a relentless run of fixtures.
