Read Nick Ames’ match report right here:
That was the first of four live Premier League games today. John Brewin is on duty for the second.
Full time: Wolves 3-0 Everton
Peep peep! That was a thumping victory for Wolves, who had too much energy, ability and nous for a dismal Everton. Daniel Podence made a terrific full debut and won the penalty that led to Raul Jimenez’s opening goal on the stroke of half-time. Leander Dendoncker headed the second straight after the break, and Pedro Neto sealed the win from Ruben Neves’s glorious pass. Wolves move back to sixth and look good for a Europa League place, maybe more.
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90 min Four minutes.
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89 min “‘Though they will get a sixth [substitution] if the match goes to extra-time’,” says David Sweet, quoting my earlier comment. “Would be unusual: apart from Wolves’ lead, I was not aware that extra time was a feature of PL games!”
My point exactly.
89 min Jonny is back on. As you were.
88 min Jonny has gone off injured. Wolves have used their three blocks of substitutions, so they will play the last few minutes with 10 men.
86 min: Traore hits the bar! It was an open goal and he should have scored. Rui Patricio volleyed a long pass to Jota, who beat Davies with ease and crossed low to Traore, eight yards out. He opened his body and somehow steered it onto the top of the crossbar.
86 min Wolves could still sneak into the Champions League, especially if they win their last game at Chelsea.
84 min I was wrong about Digne; he isn’t tireless. He now has cramp, having charged up and down the left wing all half.
83 min “Rob, that was cruel,” says Mary Waltz. “That picture of ol’ Sam Allardyce sent shivers down my spine. I could not take a season of park-the-bus, route-one football.”
81 min Everton have had lots of the ball in the last 20-25 minutes, though Wolves don’t mind that as they are very comfortable playing on the counter-attack.
79 min “Everton and Spurs have fallen for the same folly,” says Digvijay Yadav. “Gilded CVs.”
78 min Another Wolves change: Joao Moutinho replaces Raul Jimenez.
76 min The tireless Digne crosses to Calvert-Lewin, whose towering header is comfortably saved by Rui Patricio. Digne is a fine player, isn’t he.
75 min “Ancelotti is not a motivator, nor is he the builder of a team,” says Stephen Carr. “His skill lies in bringing the very best out of already established, top-class teams. It won’t work out for him at Everton - he’s not what they need now.”
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The goal was gloriously made by Ruben Neves, who drove a stunning crossfield pass from the right touchline. Jota pulled away from Keane and Coleman, took the ball down on his chest and rapped it past Pickford at the near post.
GOAL! Wolves 3-0 Everton (Jota 74)
Diogo Jota seals an emphatic victory for Wolves.
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73 min Everton have been much better in the last 10 minutes. Bernard and Keane combine to find Digne, who thrikes a shot just wide of the far post. I think he was offside, though it wasn’t given on the field.
70 min Adama Traore replaces the impressive full debutant Daniel Podence.
68 min Time for the drinks break.
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67 min Digne’s cross is miscontrolled by Iwobi but falls nicely for Sigurdsson, whose first-time shot from the edge of the box deflects behind for a corner. That was a fine block by Neves.
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66 min “Hi Rob,” says Paul Wynne. “The extent of how poor Everton are is far from inexplicable. They have played decreasingly good football since Roberto Martinez’s first season (13-14) and the players have become increasingly rubbish.”
They still have plenty of decent players. But it’s the listlessness that I really can’t fathom.
65 min A superb long pass from Neves puts Jota through on goal, with an age to decide what to do. Too much time, in fact: he gets caught in about 12 minds, almost falls over his own feet and stabs a shot that is well blocked by Pickford.
64 min Coleman’s stooping header deflects wide off Saiss.
63 min Everton make their fifth and final substitution, though they will get a sixth if the match goes to extra-time. Moise Kean replaces Richarlison.
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62 min How Jordan Pickford is still England’s first-choice keeper ahead of Nick Pope is beyond me.
61 min Jordan Pickford avoids humiliation by a few centimetres. Podence’s shot slithered straight through his hands and rolled across the goalline, but Pickford was just able to scramble across and grab it before it had completely crossed the line.
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59 min Everton have been almost inexplicably poor.
58 min Keane is booked for going through the back of Raul Jimenez.
56 min The injured Neto is replaced by Diogo Jota. And Everton make two more changes: Alex Iwobi and Bernard replace Walcott and Gordon.
55 min “‘Best League In The World’, Rob,” says Matt Dony. “Ah well, at least you’re not missing an absolute rollicking day’s Test cricket. Oh, that’s right. Did you lose a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors to Mr Harris?”
I sure lost something.
54 min Pedro Neto is down and looks in a bit of trouble. He slaps the ground in pain and/or frustration as the physio pokes around his ankle.
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48 min You have to feel for the young substitute Branthwaite, who also gave away the free-kick that led to the goal. Still, he’s a fair way from a Woodgate.
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Neto’s dipping, inswinging free-kick from the right dropped onto the head of Dendoncker, who got in front of the substitute Branthwaite and flicked an accomplished header into the corner.
GOAL! Wolves 2-0 Everton (Dendoncker 46)
Wolves scored in the 47th minute, and now they’ve scored in the 46th!
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Everton have made a half-time substitution. The teenage defender Jarrad Branthwaite comes on for his debut, replacing Leighton Baines. I suspect that means Everton will go back to 4-4-2, with Branthwaite and Keane in the middle.
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“Everton fan in California,” apologises Mary Waltz. “I got up at 3.45am expecting something worthwhile. My third cup of coffee is the only thing keeping me awake.”
That was a fairly soft penalty, not dissimilar to the dodgy one that Manchester United got at Villa in the week. The difference is that I think Digne kicked the underside of Podence’s foot, so it was probably the right decision. It certainly wasn’t a clear and obvious error.
Half-time reading
Half time: Wolves 1-0 Everton
It’s been a dog of a game, redeemed only by a few memorable bits of skill by the full debutant Daniel Podence, the best of which led to Raul Jimenez’s goal a moment ago.
GOAL! Wolves 1-0 Everton (Jimenez 45+2 pen)
Jimenez scores with aplomb, sending Pickford the wrong way and sidefooting the ball gently to the left.
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45+1 min: PENALTY TO WOLVES! Well I never. Podence loses Baines and Gordon on the right with a brilliant and/or fortunate piece of skill. Then he does a Zidane pirouette away from Digne and is fouled.
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45 min There will be two added minutes, though it’ll feel like about 200.
44 min Make it stop. Even if it’s only for 15 minutes.
42 min I feel bad saying this, given my football career peaked when I was made captain of a primary school B team, but this game is muck.
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40 min “Not a thought on this match so far, but you never know,” says Paul. “I think the people in charge of VAR are missing an unprecedented opportunity to test decisions and also supply more clarity. As there are no fans, the pressure on the ref has been reduced and the opportunity for him to take his time and if necessary use the pitch-side monitor has been made easier.
“It would have made sense at the backend of the season, where so much is at stake, to subject all major decisions to scrutiny and not hide behind the ‘clear and obvious’ line of argument , which at the moment really just means the referee in his subjective view of the match, if convinced of his decision, is never to be corrected by a more impartial and objective view from the outside It’s like going to an appeals court to get a miscarriage of justice, knowing that the judge’s pronouncement will not be overturned.”
They could just get rid of the whole sorry farce until it’s fit for purpose, that’s another option. That’s my biggest problem with it, that it was fast-tracked when it was nowhere near ready.
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38 min An even better cross from the left by Neto is fumbled by Pickford, who is happy to see the ball fall kindly for Keane to clear.
36 min Neto runs at Walcott and puts in a good deep cross that is headed away by Digne. Wolves are slowly taking control of the game.
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31 min Seamus Coleman replaces Yerry Mina. He’ll play as the right-sided centre-back, with Keane moving into the middle.
29 min Mina is down with what looks like a thigh muscle injury. Everton don’t have many central-defensive options on the bench: the teenager Jarrad Branthwaite and maybe Seamus Coleman.
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27 min Brilliant play from Jimenez, who plays an impromptu game of keepy-uppy on the edge of the box before hitting an overhead kick that is saved down to his right by Pickford. That was vaguely reminiscent of this spectacular goal from Manuel Negrete.
26 min The lively Podence gets a lucky ricochet off Walcott and belts a low shot that is turned round at the near post by Pickford. Good save.
25 min: Fine tackle from Digne! Podence sliced the defence open with a quite brilliant angled through pass inside Digne, who recovered brilliantly to make a desperate last-ditch tackle on Neto.
In other news Jofra Bloody Archer.
22 min Time for the drinks break. The build-up play from both sides has been far too slow. On the plus side, it’ll all be over soon enough.
19 min Digne is booked for pulling back Neto.
17 min A decent ball from Walcott flashes across the face of goal.
14 min It’s not been the greatest start, I won’t lie to you.
12 min Wolves win a corner on the left. Neto plays it short to Podence, whose return ball goes straight out of play for a goalkick. Nice one.
7 min Doherty plays a nice one-two with Dendoncker and moves infield, away from Sigurdsson. He runs to within 25 yards of goal before mishitting a shot well wide.
7 min Plenty of possession for Wolves, though most of it has been in deeper positions.
3 min Saiss slides a good pass down the inside-left channel to Podence. He tries to steer it first time past Pickford but doesn’t connect properly and Pickford stretches to his left to save. At the other end, Calvert-Lewin’s low shot from a tight angle is comfortably held by the sprawling Rui Patricio.
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2 min Lucas Digne is playing as the left-sided centre-back for Everton, with Leighton Baines and Theo Walcott as wing-backs.
1 min Peep peep! Everton, in blue, kick off from left to right. Wolves are in the old gold.
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Alternative entertainment
Pre-match reading
Team news
Wolverhampton Wanderers (3-4-2-1) Rui Patricio; Boly, Coady, Saiss; Doherty, Neves, Dendoncker, Jonny; Neto, Podence; Jimenez.
Substitutes: Ruddy, Vinagre, Kilman, Buur, Jordao, Gibbs-White, Jota, Moutinho, Traore.
Everton (3-5-2) Pickford; Mina, Keane, Digne; Walcott, Sigurdsson, Davies, Gordon, Baines; Calvert-Lewin, Richarlison.
Substitutes: Stekelenburg, Virginia, Sidibe, Coleman, Branthwaite, Iwobi, Baningime, Bernard, Kean.
Referee Anthony Taylor.
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Preamble
Hello. Eight days ago, Wolves were eyeing a Champions League place. Now they are in danger of missing out on the Europa League. Back-to-back defeats, to Europa rivals Arsenal and Sheffield United, have left them in a vulnerable position. A Champions League place is not completely out of question, especially with Chelsea and Leicester’s erratic form, but another season in the Europa League is a more realistic ambition.
A win today over Everton would restore a bit of order and move Wolves back up to sixth. It’s not an easy game, as Everton are pretty unpredictable – excellent in beating Leicester one minute, offensively listless in losing to Spurs the next. For Carlo Ancelotti, these matches are useful preparation for the 2020-21 season - the one in which Wolves hope to be playing in Europe again.
Kick off 12pm.
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