2024/25
Matchweek 14
All times shown are your local time
Wed 4 Dec 2024
Kick Off:
Goodison Park, Liverpool
Att: 38,820
Ref: Michael Salisbury

WHO'S GOING TO BE YOUR

MAN OF THE MATCH?

Report

Everton returned to form after a five-match winless run with an emphatic 4-0 home win over struggling Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Having been beaten 4-0 by Manchester United on Sunday, Everton responded in force at Goodison Park by the same scoreline against a team also battling at the wrong end of the table.

Ashley Young opened the scoring with an excellent free-kick early on, bringing up his 50th Premier League goal and becoming the fourth-oldest player to score a Premier League goal, at 39 years 148 days.

Orel Mangala then doubled Everton’s advantage with a stinging, deflected shot, after the hosts had also had a goal disallowed.

Everton’s set-piece proficiency continued in the second half – Craig Dawson twice turned into his own net as he challenged Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

Sean Dyche's side claimed a morale-boosting win that takes them 15th, five points clear of the bottom three, with Wolves in 19th.

How the match unfolded

Everton were off the mark after 10 minutes when Young curled a low free-kick around the Wolves wall and in at Jose Sa’s near post.

The Toffees exposed Wolves’ set-piece fragility again as Dwight McNeil swung a cross in for James Tarkowski to head home. However, the goal was overturned following a VAR review, with Mangala having been deemed to have interfered with an opponent from an offside position.

Jordan Pickford denied Wolves an equaliser when Jorgen Strand Larsen outmuscled Tarkowski, while the visiting forward also glanced wide from a cross, but Gary O’Neil’s team were left to rue those misses in the 33rd minute when Mangala stormed onto a loose ball and hammered in a strike that deflected beyond Sa.

Everton had their third four minutes after half-time, Dawson netting the first of his two own goals as he battled with Calvert-Lewin from McNeil’s corner.

Iliman Ndiaye had the ball in the net for a fourth just after the hour-mark, but the referee blew for a foul on Sa in the build-up, with VAR confirming the decision. But Everton added further gloss when Dawson diverted in as he lunged to block Calvert-Lewin’s stooping header.

Everton's dead-ball prowess

All four of the hosts’ goals started with a dead-ball scenario, and this is a weapon Dyche has relied on during his time at Goodison.

That threat has been nullified in recent weeks, with the Toffees having not scored in four games heading into Wednesday’s contest, but they sharpened up against a Wolves defence that simply could not handle Everton’s physicality in the box.

Young was the first to benefit as he capitalised on Wolves’ misplaced wall to curl a low shot home.

Yet it was McNeil’s crosses that caused the visitors the most consternation.

The hosts’ second should have been warning enough as Wolves failed to clear from McNeil’s delivery out on the right, which allowed Mangala the space and time to unleash a stinging shot from the edge of the box. That came after Tarkowski had been given a free header from close range too, with that goal disallowed.

Everton’s next two goals benefited more directly from McNeil’s deliveries. First, he sent a great ball to the back post, and while Calvert-Lewin didn’t get the final touch, such was the placement, Dawson could only nudge it in.

It was another superb delivery from the right by McNeil that allowed Calvert-Lewin a slight touch at the near post before Dawson’s attempted block flew into the bottom corner and past Sa, as Everton returned to scoring form in style ahead of facing local rivals Liverpool on Saturday.

Defensive discipline costs Wolves

It took only four minutes before Wolves showed their first signs of defensive vulnerability. Calvert-Lewin was nearly gifted a goal as miscommunication between Sa and Dawson forced the latter to make a hasty clearance.

The visitors have only kept one clean sheet all season, and on Wednesday’s evidence it was clear to see why.

While they remained error-prone inside their own half, with Matheus Cunha guilty of conceding possession in danger areas on a couple of occasions, their defence at set-pieces also left much to be desired.

Sa was left raging at his ineffective wall for Young’s opener before the visitors twice allowed Tarkowski to rise uncontested in the box to head goalwards. His first nestled into the far corner before being ruled out, while his second forced a reactive low catch from Sa.

Dawson’s misfortune epitomised the malaise of the Wolves defence as, after conceding an own goal, he repeated the earlier mistake to send a slow backpass dangerously close to the pursuing Calvert-Lewin, leaving Sa to sweep up.

While a favourable run of fixtures awaits Wolves, such mistakes will need to be cut out if they are to pick up the necessary points to drag themselves out of trouble.

Club reports

Everton report | Wolves report

Match officials

Referee: Michael Salisbury. Assistants: Darren Cann, Gary Beswick. Fourth official: Leigh Doughty. VAR: Darren England. Assistant VAR: Richard West.

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Club Reports

Match officials

Referee: Michael Salisbury

Fourth Official: Leigh Doughty

VAR: Darren England

Assistant VAR: Richard West

Match related content will appear here

      Season So Far

      Everton
       
      Wolves

      Top Player Stats

        Match Stats

        Everton
         
        Wolves

        Head-to-Head

        Everton
        Total Wins
        7
        Home
        5
        Away
        2
        Wolves
        Total Wins
        8
        Home
        4
        Away
        4

        Played

        21

        Draws 6

        Recent Meetings