Everton started the month with four consecutive wins and finished it with three losses to remind them of the precarious position their 10-point deduction has left them in. They were outclassed by Wolves who made it eight unbeaten at home on an afternoon where the grieving Mario Lemina was honoured by his teammates.
Wolves have come a long way in the space of a year. When 2022 ended they found themselves in the relegation zone, 12 months on they are 13 points clear of trouble and playing impressive football under Gary O’Neil. Everton, however, are a solitary point above the drop zone with a difficult run ahead.
Lemina was absent from the Wolves team after the death of his father on Friday. His teammates wore black armbands, while the fans instigated chants and a minute’s applause for the midfielder. When the opener was jabbed home by Max Kilman, the captain immediately ran to the dugout to find Lemina’s shirt and hold it aloft.
“That game was for Lemina,” he said. “He has been brilliant and it’s really tough what he’s going through. He deserved it.”
Everton looked jaded and were inept at the back throughout. When they failed to deal with a set-piece in the 25th minute the ball came straight back. Matheus Cunha crossed from space on the right wing and Jordan Pickford did superbly well to keep out Jarrad Branthwaite’s poke from close range, only to witness Kilman bundle the rebound in for his second career goal, the first coming against Everton two years ago. It would be the only shot on target in the first half.
A lot of Sean Dyche’s plan is based on the stamina, physicality and organisation of his team, although Wolves were defeating this blueprint with their passing and speed of movement. The Everton manager said the team were tired.
His back five was disjointed and slow on an afternoon of toil for James Tarkowski, Michael Keane and Branthwaite as they failed to cope with the speed of feet and thought in Wolves’ forward line. “We were left wanting against a good side who are playing well at the moment,” Dyche said. “Their tails are up, they’ve had good results especially at home and they capitalised on that. We were just off it today.”
Four of the team that started the final game of 2022 were in the Wolves lineup, a sign of the drastic change required to change their fortunes and their lead was doubled when Hwang Hee-chan spun Keane with ease and squared for Cunha to tap home from a matter of inches. Once again Lemina’s shirt was paraded.
“My favourite performance so far,” O’Neil said after Wolves’ third game in seven days. “As close to complete as we’ve had. There is still room for improvement but it was very, very good.
“I asked [the Premier League] if we could move this game until tomorrow at least. With the squad I’ve got, I am putting players at risk of getting injured. Thankfully, they didn’t.”
Dominic Calvert-Lewin was a spectator for a team that failed to register a shot on target. There was limited service for the striker, which helps explain why he has not scored for more than two months. If Everton are to propel themselves up the league, they need Calvert-Lewin to be given the support and opportunities he needs.
After the second goal there were lengthy discussions between Dyche and his assistant Ian Woan as they tried to turn the tide. The talks were rendered futile when Craig Dawson stretched out a leg to divert a Cunha cross on target. Much to the surprise of the centre-back, and the majority in Molineux, he successfully sent the ball into the bottom corner.
“The goals today were ‘focus goals’ and when you lose focus when you’re fatigued there is definitely an element of that,” Dyche said. “It looked like there was a lack of focus rather than anything else.”
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Everton have suffered more highs and lows than most clubs this season but need to find a way to turn things around with Aston Villa, Fulham, Tottenham and Manchester City to come next. That is easier said than done.
