Here’s Pete Lansley’s report from Molineux.
Raúl Jiménez, man of the match, and scorer of the deciding goal, speaks.
It feels really really good to be back on the scoresheet at home. We suffered more in the second half, and we maintain the lead. We worked hard, that’s what the coach tells us to do. We have a lot of confidence in each other. That makes it look easier than it was. We are most of us the same players from the last there season, we know we can play. We know that the players will try their best.
That’s four wins from five from Wolves, and they move to seventh. Everton have beaten only Norwich since September. It’s not going well for Rafa. Newcastle calling?
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chelsea | 10 | 23 | 25 |
| 2 | Liverpool | 10 | 21 | 22 |
| 3 | Man City | 10 | 14 | 20 |
| 4 | West Ham | 10 | 9 | 20 |
| 5 | Man Utd | 10 | 4 | 17 |
| 6 | Arsenal | 10 | -1 | 17 |
| 7 | Wolverhampton | 10 | 1 | 16 |
| 8 | Brighton | 10 | 0 | 16 |
| 9 | Tottenham Hotspur | 10 | -7 | 15 |
| 10 | Everton | 10 | 0 | 14 |
| 11 | Leicester | 10 | -2 | 14 |
| 12 | Brentford | 10 | 0 | 12 |
| 13 | Crystal Palace | 10 | -1 | 12 |
| 14 | Southampton | 10 | -3 | 11 |
| 15 | Aston Villa | 10 | -5 | 10 |
| 16 | Watford | 10 | -6 | 10 |
| 17 | Leeds | 10 | -7 | 10 |
| 18 | Burnley | 10 | -6 | 7 |
| 19 | Newcastle | 10 | -12 | 4 |
| 20 | Norwich | 10 | -22 | 2 |
Updated
Full-time: Wolves 2-1 Everton
A good win for Wolves, and one secured in the first half when Everton were, frankly, dreadful. Two lovely goals from the home team, with Kilman getting his first ever goal for Wolves and Raul Jimenez’s class showing in a cool finish, even if he did owe much to Ben Godfrey’s mistake. The better team won, despite Everton’s second-half showing.
90+3 min: Wolves all back, and are looking to kill more time by bringing on Fabio Silva, the Strokes lead singer, as Hwang goes off to deserved applause. Silva looks to have bulked up.
90+2 min: There’s a ruck on the left flank of Wolves’ defence, all over nothing and Seamus Coleman gets a booking for losing his cool.
90+1 min: Five minutes are added on. It is likely to be all Everton.
Updated
89 min: Off goes Raul Jimenez, the goalscorer, for Dendoncker. The Mexican was excellent. Off goes Gray for Rondon, booed by home fans for the crime of playing for West Brom.
88 min: Delph starts an Everton attack as the home fans sing for Bruno Lage. Gordon has looked very promising since coming on.
87 min: That really was a good save from Sa, as good as those in the early stages from Pickford.
86 min: Gordon charges on to a pass from Richarlison but it runs to Coleman and his shot is deflected behind. A brief look at VAR as it brushed off Coady, and then Sa makes a fine save from Gordon. Everton pushing on now.
84 min: Richarlison, rather foolishly, fouls Neves who again takes his time getting up.
82 min: Everton seem to have lost some energy in their chase for a second. Rafa Benitez, in trackie rather suit - pure Ev - is urging his men on.
80 min: Ten minutes to see out for Wolves, and ten minutes to save themselves for Everton. Lovely skill from Jimenez, whose touch is back in, but Keane robs a speeding Podence as last defender.
78 min: Everton sub, on comes young Anthony Gordon for Iwobi. Wolves make a sub and off goes Trincao, and on comes Podence.
77 min: Hwang Hee-chan, who has been excellent, wins the ball in midfield, links with Jimenez but there is over-elaboration, and the chance is wasted.
76 min: Subs coming on soon? A grandstand finish awaits us.
74 min: Penalty! Trincao escapes down the right and Holgate brings him down. Or does he? VAR will surely deny them. It was just outside. Martin Atkinson had pointed to the spot. There are groans from home fans when the free-kick is wasted.
Updated
72 min: Neves goes down in some pain after blocking a Godfrey shot. He’ll probably be OK to continue, and probably has an eye on the clock running down.
71 min: Ruth gets in touch: “Thanks for the clip. It is my favourite part of the documentary. Delph talking about how “football isn’t that complicated” and Pep retorting “it’s incredibly complicated actually”. Sadly we don’t see much of his training sessions to understand it’s complication and reasons but hey ho.”
70 min: Will Wolves regret that Trincao miss? They might do, you know.
68 min: Wolves try to step it up and get a third. And go so close. Hwang Hee-chan cuts in from the left, and plays it to Trincao, who somehow takes too much time and then misses. Bruno Lage not amused at all.
Goal! Wolves 2-1 Everton (Iwobi, 66)
Godfrey steps forward to force the issue, and the ball bounces back out to Iwobi who drills it first time. Game on!
Updated
64 min: Weaving run from Allan, and Richarlison peels off the side, and then plays the ball back. Not much support for him up there.
62 min: Wolves continue to press from the front, very much against the style of Nuno, though they are dropped back deep, too. That probably suits Conor Coady.
60 min: Just when it seems like Everton have locked it down, Hwang Hee-chan goes away, and his pass finds Semedo on the back post. The cross is headed off the post by Jimenez.
57 min: There’s a few fouls going in now, it’s all a bit scrappy. Wolves not quite able to get away on the attack as they did before.
55 min: Near disaster for Wolves as Coady and goalkeeper Sa get in a tangle and Richarlison almost steals in. Coady blocks the ball and comes off worse, with Richarlison hurt too. Coady looks to be OK to continue.
Updated
54 min: A Wolves corner is well cleared by Michael Keane’s header. Greater solidity to Everton? There’s glimpses of that.
52 min: On the Everton left, Demarai Gray is getting more space, and it takes Max Kilman’s block to stop him getting in.
51 min: A more even contest already, tighter than it was. The next goal will go some way to deciding it.
Updated
49 min: On that Jeff Beck clip, from Lee McDonagh: “The best bit of that Jeff Beck clip is that lifelong Wolves fan Robert Plant can’t help singing Hi Ho Wolverhampton in the second chorus. You can take the boy from Wolverhampton and all that.”
I also spotted the late John Sessions.
48 min: Everton look better for it already, and are pushing on, though that opens up space at the back, too. Delph is patrolling the centre, trying to stop Neves and Moutinho passing it about.
Updated
46 min: Sadly for Jean-Philippe Gbamin, his first appearance for two years didn’t go well and it was him who was replaced by Delph.
Good news for Everton, on comes Fabian Delph to teach his teammates the basics of football.
For the UK audience here. By the way, Dominic Calvert-Lewin is in the Sky MNF studio tonight, and having to choose his words very carefully. Ben Godfrey won’t want to see this again.
What a finish! 👌
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) November 1, 2021
Raul Jimenez latches onto Ben Godfrey's under-hit back pass and makes it 2-0 to Wolves shortly after Max Kilman gave them the lead! 🐺
📺 Watch #WOLEVE live on Sky Sports Premier League pic.twitter.com/M8RBxu2G4a
And Ian Copestake: “On the positive side, Everton are in a perfect position to test whether 2-0 is a dangerous lead.”
Espen Bommen too, not a Manchester City fan: “Makalele was so good he had a position named after him. Watching the Holgate foul on 20 minutes I’m realizing it’s an absolute travesty Fernandinho hasn’t received the same honor. A blatant cynical foul that everyone except the referees thinks is worthy of a yellow card. It’s the Fernandinho foul. If someone has a catchier name for it I’m fine with that but I think it’s about time we give the man his dues.”
JR in Illinois is in: “A minute or two after Kilman scored Martin Tyler blurted out “Max Headroom!” Setting aside the silliness of it I’d be curious to know what your guess would be as to the percentage of people listening that got the reference? I think I’d go around 20%. Also, Everton v Spurs this coming Sunday should be... ummmm... something.”
John Cashman emails in: “If you’re going to listen to a version of Hi Ho Silver Lining, it may as well be this one. Chrissy Hynde, Jimmy Cliff, Solomon Burke, Tom Jones, and Robert Plant are all along for the ride.”
Chas N’ Dave, too. Ben Elton in the audience, and some Jools Holland Boogie Woogie...you can’t have it all.
Half-time: Wolves 2-0 Everton
Wolves have been excellent and Everton have been awful, and that’s about the size of it. Rafa Benitez’s characteristic organisation appears to have absented itself. On this evidence, Bruno Lage has made Wolves into quite the entertainers.
45 min: Howling miss from Holgate, whose blushes are spared by an offside flag. Iwobi’s flick had given him a sight of goal. Two minutes are added on.
43 min: Holgate is pressed into playing the ball back into the Wolves attack. Really hard work all round from the home team.
41 min: Everton probably need to see this out until half-time, there’s jeers as another of their attacks comes to nothing.
39 min: Some boos as Hee-Chan takes one to the ribs. Benitez and Allan have a tactical discussion, and Allan hides his mouth behind his hand. Why? Mate, you’re Allan of Everton.
Updated
37 min: Benitez has made changes, and tightened up his midfield. It almost brings instant results, but after Saiss coughs up a chance, Gray misses the targets to jeers.
35 min: Things unravelling fast Benitez and Everton but Wolves have been great, with attacking threat all through their team. They have always had talented players, and Nuno - him again - was careful not to let them off the leash. Bruno Lage is reaping the benefits of that. His players are enjoying themselves.
33 min: Ben Godfrey looks crestfallen, and Everton look beaten, carrying on the idiocy of that loss to Watford. What is going on?
Goal! Wolves 2-0 Everton (Jimenez, 32)
Oh Everton. A terrible backpass from Godfrey finds Jimenez and he dinks over Pickford, who is brutally exposed.
Updated
31 min: Huge gaps again as Ait-Noori pings in a ball that is only half-cleared. Honestly, have they been watching Spurs too much?
29 min: The former Maidenhead player scored in his 44th match for Wolves. Didn’t Rafa used to be good at organising defences? No Carragher or Hyypia for him, is there?
Updated
Goal! Wolves 1-0 Everton (Kilman, 28)
It was coming. A set piece disaster, great cross in and Kilman heads in his first ever Wolves goal.
Updated
27 min: Seamus Coleman rages at his teammates for letting Raul Jimenez having a run at him.
26 min: Everton’s buildup is just as slow, but Iwobi - at last - gets on the ball - and his cross can’t get to Gray. Better? It was an actual attack. That was the first time they had touched the ball in the Wolves box.
24 min: Wolves passing it around, Everton happy to sit back. Their shape isn’t as tight as their manager would like.
22 min: An actual Everton attack? And a free-kick as Allan as fouled by Jimenez. It’s headed away by Saiss with ease. Everton have been really bad.
20 min: Holgate pulls down a galloping Trincao, that was desperate defending lucky to escape a yellow card. Free-kick to Wolves. Neves tries to dip it up and over, but misses.
18 min: That won’t stop Wolves, who have piled forward. They look really on it. Everton look like Spurs on Saturday. Their midfield is non-existent.
Goal ruled out by VAR
It’s still 0-0. Everton got very lucky there. Wolves had carved them open.
Updated
Goal! Wolves 1-0 Everton (Hee-Chan, 15)
The Korean scores again. More loose Everton defending, Jimenez’s flick finds Hee-Chan and he pokes home off the post....but is it offside. It could be, you know.
Updated
14 min: Richarlison is crowded out, and he’s not getting much support, even from Gray and Townsend to his flanks. Then Wolves break, and Moutinho plays in Hee-Chan who forces another fine save from Jordan Pickford, who is already having to make some big saves. Not great from The Ev so far, not great at all.
12 min: Mary Waltz is here: “Last season I allowed myself to dream. I drank the Kool aid. Top 4 , Champions League, etc. I was miserable. Now I expect nothing more than mid table. We will knock off one of the top 4. We will drop points against relegation squads. Last week’s disaster was bad but since I have realistic expectations it passed quickly.”
Updated
11 min: Jordan Pickford’s hairstyle reminds of former Tottenham stalwart Ian Walker, slicked back and long on top, the cut of someone working for Barings Bank in 1989 on the trading floor.
Updated
10 min: Wolves have a corner, and Everton have not been good at set-pieces of late. And they struggle badly here. The ball falls to Neves, who wallops it on the volley, and then Pickford palms away before a scramble to get the ball clear.
8 min: Everton are sat deep and compact, and will be asking Wolves to pass through them. We’ve seen Rafa do this before, haven’t we? This is his 350th Premier League game in charge.
6 min: Neither team seems as if they want to pick up the pace here. Two circumspect managers perhaps playing this way in tribute to Nuno.
5 min: A Wolves attack but Neves decides to cut back and roll the ball to their defenders. The ball is launched towards Trincao but he can’t take it down, the Barca loanee.
2 min: This is a slow start so far, with Ben Godfrey’s burst down the left the highlight, though nobody else is reading his run. Conor Coady steps out of defence.
1 min: And away we go...loud singing from both sets of fans, and that’s good to hear.
After the Last Post, and the laying of wreaths, the players take the knee ahead of kick-off. This is the first time Wolves have played a night match at Molineux since Valentine’s Day last year v Leicester.
The teams leave the tunnel, and the sound of Jeff Beck’s Hi Ho Silver Lining rings out. One of the greatest ever guitarists is best known for a novelty song, same went for Chuck Berry pretty much with his, er, Ding A Ling. Funny old game.
Rafa Benítez speaks about what he wants from the game.
The simple things, the things we did against Burnley, Brighton and Man Utd, work together and work as a team. Last week was strange. We were 2-1 up and we made so many mistakes. I want a team that is very competitive. [Changes?] I see the players training. We see the players every day. [Richarlison] - we saw he can score goals. We are missing some important players. We try yo stay compact, and keep the ball well, and move the ball quickly, and make chances.
Everton can go sixth, and Wolves can go seventh, should either team win this.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chelsea | 10 | 23 | 25 |
| 2 | Liverpool | 10 | 21 | 22 |
| 3 | Man City | 10 | 14 | 20 |
| 4 | West Ham | 10 | 9 | 20 |
| 5 | Man Utd | 10 | 4 | 17 |
| 6 | Arsenal | 10 | -1 | 17 |
| 7 | Brighton | 10 | 0 | 16 |
| 8 | Tottenham Hotspur | 10 | -7 | 15 |
| 9 | Everton | 9 | 1 | 14 |
| 10 | Leicester | 10 | -2 | 14 |
| 11 | Wolverhampton | 9 | 0 | 13 |
| 12 | Brentford | 10 | 0 | 12 |
| 13 | Crystal Palace | 10 | -1 | 12 |
| 14 | Southampton | 10 | -3 | 11 |
| 15 | Aston Villa | 10 | -5 | 10 |
| 16 | Watford | 10 | -6 | 10 |
| 17 | Leeds | 10 | -7 | 10 |
| 18 | Burnley | 10 | -6 | 7 |
| 19 | Newcastle | 10 | -12 | 4 |
| 20 | Norwich | 10 | -22 | 2 |
The Everton fans have been in touch. Matt Burtz: “This Everton fan does not like the looks of that bench; I forgot that Cenk Tosun was still on the roster, and I don’t think any Everton fan wants to see Fabian Delph anywhere near a field in the near future. As for Digne being absent, in theory it’s a loss, but he hasn’t had the best season thus far, and his silly foul gave away the free kick that led to Watford’s first goal last time out, so perhaps it won’t be as detrimental as one might think. Hopefully Benitez can right the ship, though it will probably have to be with the starting XI.”
And, of course, Gary Naylor: “hate to say it, but Lucas Digne is no big miss. He appears to have forgotten how to defend one on one, his body shape always ‘the wrong way round’. Maybe he’s pining for DC-L: I know I am.”
Stat attack from the king of stats.
Jean-Philippe Gbamin becomes the first footballer to start Everton Premier League games for both Marco Silva and Rafa Benitez but not Carlo Ancelotti.
— Richard Jolly (@RichJolly) November 1, 2021
The Wolves manager Bruno Lage speaks.
They are working since the first day to play how we want. I see good things. It’s not about the result, it’s about the performance. Sometimes it’s good, sometimes it’s not so good. But the link between players is better, they know what they have to do.
For the ref obsessives amongst you, here’s tonight’s all-important officialdom.
Referee: Martin Atkinson | VAR: Chris Kavanagh
For Wolves, Ruben Neves replaces Leander Dendoncker. Adama Traore is benched, with Francisco Trincao coming in for him. More sweeping changes from Rafa, with Jean-Philippe Gbamin, making his first Premier League start since August 2019 in midfield. Mason Holgate, Gbamin, Alex Iwobi and Richarlison are the four changes, with . Tom Davies, Anthony Gordon and Salomon Rondon benched. Lucas Digne is absent, which is a big blow to Everton.
Here are the teams
Wolves: Sa, Semedo, Saiss, Coady, Kilman, Ait-Nouri, Neves, Moutinho, Trincao, Hee-Chan, Jimenez. Subs: Ruddy, Hoever, Podence, Boly, Silva, Dendoncker, Traore, Cundle, Storer
Everton: Pickford, Coleman, Holgate, Keane, Godfrey, Iwobi, Allan, Gbamin, Townsend, Gray, Richarlison. Subs: Begovic, Lonergan, Kenny, Delph, Tosun, Gordon, Davies, Rondon, Welch.
Here's how we line-up to take on @Everton. #WOLEVE
— Wolves (@Wolves) November 1, 2021
📋🐺 pic.twitter.com/ggYRBnu4Oq
Your team to face Wolves! 🔵#WOLEVE #COYB pic.twitter.com/vwcZVVkIME
— Everton (@Everton) November 1, 2021
Updated
Preamble
If the day has been about Nuno’s removal from Tottenham, here’s his former club and one that got away in the summer. Yes, before he was first turned down by Daniel Levy and then employed - and after he had left Wolves by trusty old “mutual consent” - he was one of those names mentioned as a possible successor to Carlo Ancelotti, before Rafa Benítez got the job. And while Rafa is by no means going to be shown the door as quickly as Nuno, the doubters are beginning to gather after one win from the last five. Losing 5-2 to Watford last time out didn’t help much, either. Yes, Watford. As for Wolves, Bruno Lage, a man who keeps himself even lower key than Nuno, his team have started performing worse yet started getting better results. So, two teams headed in different directions and thus something has to give.
Kick-off at 8pm, join me.
