A powerful shot from Anthony Martial gave United the lead just before interval, although Everton deserved a draw.
Ronaldo arrived just before the hour mark, but within minutes of his arrival he could only see Everton firing against David de Gea, with Andros Townsend joining Demarai Gray and Abdoulaye Doucoure.
Everton would have snatched all three points after a corner, but Yeri Mina’s goal was dismissed for offside after a VAR review.
‘Siou’ festival
After scoring his fifth goal in nine appearances for Everton, Townsend celebrated by imitating Ronaldo’s trademark “siu” celebration.
“Not to be duped, it’s just a mark of respect to a man who influenced my career,” Townsend told BT Sport.
“I spent many hours on the training pitch and in the video room trying to analyze his free-kicks and his stepovers and the way he dedicated himself to football.
“So it wasn’t a copy. It was a sign of respect for one of my idols. I probably didn’t do justice to the celebration and didn’t execute it properly.”
The draw has meant that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side have managed to win just two of their last six matches in all competitions.
“We started well and scored a great goal. In the second half, we didn’t get the lead for a second. From our corner we conceded five seconds later, which is too much,” Solskjaer told BT Sport.
“We had enough players behind the ball, but didn’t tackle things. We didn’t regroup and didn’t restructure enough.”
Everton were missing several key players because of the injury – notably strikers Richardson and Dominic Cavert-Lewin – and Merseyside club manager Rafa Benitez said the draw “felt like a win mentally.”
“We were really close to being here and the way we did,” Benitez told BT Sport. “You should be really proud of the players.
“We were doing well, it’s a pity that we accepted because we were working really hard. In the second half we reacted well and we had a chance to win the match.
“Androso” [Townsend] Doing well, but the team has won, just one player is not doing well, and that was fantastic. Rest of the team worked hard with great performance.”
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