"Let’s move on to the analysis of the match events, reviewing the goals, missed chances, and the decisive moments that made the difference."
Scoreline and key events
Full‑time: Wolves 2–3 Everton. Goals: Beto 7’, Hwang Hee‑chan 21’, Iliman Ndiaye 33’, Kiernan Dewsbury‑Hall 55’, Rodrigo Gomes 79’.
Headline: Jack Grealish delivered a man‑of‑the‑match display with two assists and heavy involvement in the third, taking him to four assists in just 163 minutes as an Everton player.
Initial shapes and selection notes
Wolves (Vítor Pereira): a back‑five base morphing between 3‑4‑2‑1 and 5‑2‑3, with Jackson Tchatchoua and Hugo Bueno as wing‑backs and Hwang central. Jørgen Strand Larsen was absent through a minor issue, as flagged pre‑match.
Everton (David Moyes): a 4‑2‑3‑1/4‑3‑3 hybrid. Vitalii Mykolenko returned at left‑back; Idrissa Gana Gueye anchored midfield; Beto led the line with Dewsbury‑Hall and Ndiaye operating as high, interchanging 8/10s, and Grealish starting off the left but constantly drifting inside to connect.
Everton in possession: left‑side orchestration, three‑lane threats
Left‑side hub: Mykolenko’s advanced positioning plus Grealish’s inside drifting created a repeating overload against Wolves’ right flank. The opener came from that corridor: Mykolenko’s cross, Grealish’s cushioned header back across goal, and Beto’s finish for 0–1 on 7’. Pattern established.
Linking the half‑spaces: For 1–2, Grealish disguised a slip into Dewsbury‑Hall to break the line, releasing Ndiaye to slot home on 33’. It was classic third‑man play: Grealish receives to feet, draws the near centre‑back, and fires the vertical into the runner.
Same actors, different finish: On 55’, Grealish again found KDH in the left half‑space; a clean left‑foot strike restored a two‑goal cushion at 1–3. The timing and angle of Grealish’s touch forced Wolves’ outside centre‑back to step, opening the lane.
Wolves without the ball: wing‑back exposure and far‑side gaps
Perimeter strain: Everton kept forcing Tchatchoua and the right‑sided centre‑back into 2v3s. With Bueno also pushed back by early crosses, Wolves’ wing‑backs were pinned rather than proactive, and both were substituted as Everton repeatedly exploited that channel.
Central screen: The double‑pivot struggled to track Everton’s rotating 8/10s (KDH, Ndiaye). When the near midfielder stepped to Grealish, the far one was slow to cover the diagonal into the half‑space, especially before the hour.
Wolves in possession: flashes, then a late surge
Equaliser pattern (21’): From a quick wide advance, Marshall Munetsi overlapped on the right and delivered a bouncing cross that Hwang finished with precision—evidence that Wolves could hurt Everton when they attacked early into space rather than trying to build slowly.
Late pressure: Sub Rodrigo Gomes volleyed in at 79’ after David Møller Wolfe’s delivery from the left, and Wolves finally found momentum by stacking the box and attacking second balls. Pickford then made a key save from Bellegarde, with the rebound spurned.
Pressing and rest‑defence
Everton’s counter‑press was compact around Grealish’s zone: when possession turned over on the left, KDH and Gueye squeezed immediately to close lanes, allowing Everton to re‑cycle and keep Wolves penned. Grealish also did the “dirty” work—drawing fouls and stalling counters—buying time for the block to reset.
Wolves’ high press had moments, but the trigger discipline wavered: the first line often jumped without the second line compressing behind, which is how Grealish repeatedly received between units to spring those third‑man combinations.
Transitions: the decisive battleground
Everton were ruthless in early transitions, especially down the left: one switch to the full‑back, immediate feed into Grealish, then punch into the inside channel for runs off Beto. The first and third Everton goals both emerged from quick, vertical left‑side patterns.
Wolves grew into broken play once Gomes and Møller Wolfe were on together: earlier crosses arrived from deeper zones; the subs added higher, earlier service and better back‑post occupation.
Key match‑ups
Grealish vs Tchatchoua/right channel: Everton’s No 18 dictated terms—receiving, riding contact, and releasing runners—with Wolves’ right side repeatedly isolated, prompting changes.
Mykolenko vs Wolves’ left: Mykolenko’s licence to cross early set the tone (assist chain for 0–1) and pinned Bueno back.
Gueye vs Wolves’ eights: Gueye’s reading of counters and second balls throttled Wolves centrally until the late surge.
Substitutions and their tactical effect
Wolves’ double wide change (Tchatchoua and Bueno off) aimed to stabilise the flanks and raise crossing quality; Gomes’ introduction gave a genuine penalty‑box threat from the far post—and delivered the 2–3 lifeline.
Everton stayed within their structure, later asking Grealish to help manage the game by taking fouls and retaining the ball before withdrawing him to an ovation; Pickford then saw out the storm with a big late save.
Turning points
7’: Early Everton breakthrough from the left‑side pattern unlocked the game‑state and let the visitors dictate tempo.
33’ and 55’: Grealish‑driven combinations for Ndiaye and KDH—Everton’s best rehearsed mechanism—paid off twice.
79’: Gomes’ goal re‑energised Molineux, but Pickford’s late stop on Bellegarde plus the missed rebound preserved the points.
What Everton did well
Built a repeatable left‑side attack: Mykolenko overlapping, Grealish receiving inside, KDH/Ndiaye attacking the seam.
Blended flair with graft: Grealish’s creativity plus diligent counter‑pressing and game‑management fouls.
Protected central spaces: Gueye’s screening limited Wolves’ clean entries until late.
Where Wolves were vulnerable
Wing‑back isolation: Everton engineered 3v2s on Wolves’ right repeatedly, forcing reactive changes.
Slow coverage across the pivot: space opened between the lines whenever the near 6 stepped to Grealish.
Coaching takeaways
Wolves: if Pereira keeps the back‑five, tighten the chain on the right side—either drop the near 8 earlier to form a temporary back‑six in Everton’s left‑side overloads or invert the far wing‑back sooner to close the half‑space. Introduce more first‑time crossing from advanced, not deep, zones (the Gomes goal is the model).
Everton: keep the left‑side triangle as a primary plan, but vary the release by occasionally flipping KDH to the right half‑space to attack the far channel when teams over‑shift to Grealish. Maintain the counter‑press distances around the ball to preserve territorial control late.
Individuals of note
Jack Grealish: two assists and the connective tissue for the third, now four assists in 163 Everton minutes—a clear resurgence under Moyes.
Kiernan Dewsbury‑Hall and Iliman Ndiaye: intelligent third‑man runners and tidy finishers for 1–3.
Jordan Pickford: one high‑leverage save at the death to deny Bellegarde before a rebound miss sealed the result.
Rodrigo Gomes: instant impact off the bench and the catalyst of Wolves’ late push.
Big‑picture
For Everton: a statement away performance built on a clear left‑side pattern and renewed creativity—Moyes’ side look more expansive without losing compactness.
For Wolves: the late rally and the quality of Gomes’ finish are positives, but structural protection of the right flank and quicker wide service must improve to avoid chasing games.