The biggest cheer of the second half at Goodison Park came as Tom Cannon was introduced with seven minutes to go. Against a team that was bottom of the table, disjointed under a new manager and which leaked chances in the manner its defence did in the first half, that is not good enough.
Bringing Cannon on was the right decision. The teen striker is a star of the future and riding the crest of a wave of form, confidence and, crucially, goals - albeit in the Under-21s. But it was a decision that showcases the problems facing Everton and Frank Lampard as they head towards 2023 knowing there is a real threat of another painful struggle against relegation.
As Lampard sought a winner in a frenetic game that neither side could control, and with Dominic Calvert-Lewin again unavailable, he had to turn to a 19-year-old bursting with talent but who had only made his senior debut in the damaging final week before the break that left the Blues just one point and one position above the bottom three. With Manchester City to come, they could enter the new year below that dotted line.
MATCH RECAP: Look back on how every kick of Everton vs Wolves unfolded
READ MORE: Everton must face grim Goodison truth as Yerry Mina problem won't go away
Wolverhampton Wanderers were bottom at the start of Boxing Day and remain beneath Everton even after their 2-1 win. But by the 78th minute they had made all five available changes as Julen Lopetegui spotted an opportunity to go for a crucial win and went for it. Three of the players he introduced combined for the winner.
Where the fear lies for many Everton supporters is that, unlike Lampard, Wolves had a bench their new manager felt he could exploit to its maximum. They already have their first new addition ready for January too - the forward, Matheus Cunha, who Everton were interested in but who was secured in a deal the scale of which Lampard said was beyond Everton's "parameters". Lampard now enters January with the scarring impact of those defeats at Bournemouth still in his mind, with a defeat to one of the few sides that endured a worse start to the season than Everton, and with the knowledge that side has already demonstrated its greater financial firepower. With a £45m obligation to buy, the Cunha deal represents the type of costly risk that got Everton to the point where Lampard has had to fight with one hand tied behind his back, not the kind of gamble they need to make sustainable progress.
And the noises from the club suggest they know they need to strengthen in January and there is the ability to do business. Defeat to Wolves should not be a wake up call, because one should not be needed. But it is a brutal reminder of the danger Everton are hurtling towards. Survival cannot be taken for granted. Nor can the fans. The next month is vital and everything must be done to strengthen.
The match ended in catastrophic circumstances as Rayan Aït-Nouri sent the away supporters wild with his stoppage time winner. Everton held the momentum going into the final minutes, the crowd buoyed by the introduction of Cannon. But as the defence knocked the ball around the halfway line the anxiety grew that Everton were not seeking a winner. James Tarkowski played a long, cross-field ball to Anthony Gordon and as it dropped in the box the visitors cleared, sparking the counter attack that won them the game.
An ending like that, with some sections of the crowd booing on the final whistle, had felt a long way off when Yerry Mina prompted celebrations with his early goal. The lack of threat from attacking corners was a source of frustration over the first part of the season and Ashley Cole, who oversees set piece training, was clear when speaking to the ECHO in Australia he wanted to address the failure to score from a corner in the opening 15 games. It took just eight minutes. The mismatch of Mina and Hugo Bueno was stark as Dwight McNeil lined up his corner and swung in a left-footed ball that the centre back won with little challenge.
It was the start Goodison Park needed and the roars of the home crowd that followed were the perfect backdrop for Everton to push on. Yet while this Everton side's improved resilience has been a positive of the season, another theme has been its discomfort when in the lead. Once again Everton failed to capitalise on momentum and Wolves grew back into the game. The equaliser came just 14 minutes later and, frustratingly considering the progress made in defending set pieces, from a corner. Gordon was unlucky as his sliding challenge on Bueno trickled behind Jordan Pickford's goal. The resulting corner ended up at the feet of Joao Moutinho, 20 yards out and on the same spot Youri Tielemans scored from for Leicester City almost two months ago, when the Gwladys Street was last full. Instead of taking on a shot he sent a looping ball towards the back post that drifted over Nathan Patterson and was poked home by an unmarked Daniel Podence.
The game then broke down into chaos as two teams low on first team football and desperate for a win engaged in a frantic end-to-end battle. Neal Maupay broke free on the halfway line but a heavy touch gave Jose Sa the chance to clear, then Diego Costa glanced a free header tamely at Pickford as Podence and Bueno threatened down Everton's right. Amid the carnage Everton were able to regain dominance, if not control, in the middle third and carved out two further great chances. Idrissa Gueye picked Gordon out in the
area with an incisive through ball but the winger could only shoot at Sa. Maupay then stole the ball 25 yards out but again fired straight at Sa with time and space. While a win no doubt topped Lampard's wishlist, goals for Gordon and Maupay would have been close behind and Everton should have led at half-time. While they did not, four shots on target at least represented creative progress.
That did not continue into the second half, however, as the game looked to be heading towards a stalemate. But while Lopetegui could turn to match-winning substitutes, Lampard was left dealing with the sadly familiar sight of Mina being withdrawn with injury - and the necessity of turning to a teenager with less than 20 minutes of Premier League experience with Calvert-Lewin once again unavailable as he continues his hunt to be match-ready. When Everton travel to Manchester later this week they will have Conor Coady back and, according to Lampard, potentially Calvert-Lewin. They are important players who strengthen Everton. Yet if the Blues are to avoid relegation, never mind a relegation fight, they cannot rely on the squad as it is.
READ NEXT:
Everton player ratings as Yerry Mina makes impact but three stars poor vs Wolves
Rate the Everton players in dramatic Boxing Day defeat to Wolves
Frank Lampard clarifies whether Everton can buy players in January as Matheus Cunha admission made
Frank Lampard makes decision on Tom Cannon and two other Everton youngsters
Everton fans offered behind-the-scenes insight into new stadium development
