Everton 4 Wolverhampton Wanderers 0
Everton scored four against Wolves (Peter Byrne/PA)
The Premier League’s joint-lowest scorers suddenly found their fortunes had changed as Ashley Young scored his first goal in more than two years just eight months short of his 40th birthday to kick-start a vital 4-0 victory.
But becoming the club’s oldest goalscorer and the oldest player to rack up 50 in the Premier League was merely the start of an extraordinary game on one of the few remaining nights under the lights at Goodison Park.
On-loan midfielder Orel Mangala, having being found guilty by VAR of interfering from an offside position when James Tarkowski netted, made amends by lashing home for his first since joining from Lyon.
However, the luck did not extend to Dominic Calvert-Lewin, back in the side after being dropped against Manchester United, whose goalless run extended to 10 games after Craig Dawson was credited with two second-half own goals after coming under pressure from the striker who looked back to his bright best.
The result put Wolves head coach Gary O’Neil under even more scrutiny with the team second from bottom and four adrift of safety.
With fixtures to come against top-six sides Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Nottingham Forest, having already been hammered 4-0 at Old Trafford, even in December this was a must-win game for Everton and success lifted them five clear of the bottom three.
However, no-one could have predicted the one-sidedness of a game which, before kick-off, pitted the league’s joint-worst attack (10 goals) against the worst defence (Wolves conceded 35) and the subdued atmosphere exemplified how high the stakes were.
But Everton have shown with their relegation escapes over the last three years, including last December when they bounced back from an eight-point deduction for financial irregularities by winning four in row, they somehow find a way when the chips are down.
Dyche has spent weeks answering questions about how he was going to solve their goalscoring problems, having gone 370 minutes without a goal, but – unsurprisingly – Young’s name never came up once.
The midfielder-turned-full back had found the net once, in the Carabao Cup, in his previous 73 appearances so there was not a great degree of optimism when he lined up a 10th-minute free kick.
Wolves head coach Gary O’Neil would argue the set-piece had been wrongly awarded as Abdoulaye Doucoure had already taken a shot at goal and blazed over after referee Michael Salisbury played advantage for a foul on Dominic Calvert-Lewin only for the official to then bring play back for the infringement.
Young duly curled a low shot around the wall and just inside Jose Sa’s left-hand post as Wolves’ poor defensive record extended to one clean sheet – against bottom side Southampton – all season.
When Tarkowski headed in Dwight McNeil’s inswinging cross, VAR referred Salisbury to the monitor as Mangala was in an offside position blocking Mario Lemina and the effort was ruled out.
Calvert-Lewin forced Sa to save with his legs before Jordan Pickford, on his 300th Premier League appearance, produced an important stop from Jorgen Strand Larsen.
Mangala redeemed himself with a powerful drive from the edge of the area which Sa got a hand to but even 2-0 up at half-time was no guarantee for an Everton side low on confidence.
Four minutes after the break they could breathe easier as Dawson turned in a cross as Calvert-Lewin jumped for a corner with Sa, and the Wolves centre-back suffered a similar fate when the striker flung himself at another cross.
Iliman Ndiaye also had a goal disallowed for a foul on Sa after following up his own shot and Matt Doherty’s header against the post was scant response from the visitors, who have now conceded four or more four times already this season and were booed when they went over to applaud the travelling fans.