Everton’s 1-0 Carabao Cup win over Wolves may have required an 80th-minute winner from Carlos Alcaraz, but the underlying numbers suggest David Moyes’ side had considerably more control than the scoreline suggests.
Everton recorded an xG of 1.68 compared with Wolves’ 0.26, while having 62% possession, 16 shots to six and six efforts on target to two. The hosts also created five big chances without Wolves registering one, offering a clearer picture of a game in which the breakthrough took longer than Everton would have wanted.
Hayden Hackney and James Garner provided the platform in midfield as Everton remained patient against opponents who proved difficult to break down.
Lesson 1: Rest-defence and field tilt in Moyes’ setup
Everton started with Jordan Pickford behind Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Jake O’Brien, Michael Keane and Vitaliy Mykolenko, with Hackney and Garner operating ahead of them. Full details of both teams are available in our report on the confirmed line-ups at Hill Dickinson Stadium.
The territorial numbers support the impression that Everton controlled where much of the game was played. They recorded 54 final-third entries to Wolves’ 34 and 41 touches in the opposition box compared with only eight for the visitors.
Moyes’ side still maintained a degree of protection when attacks broke down, with Hackney and Garner providing cover rather than both committing forward. Wolves’ xG of just 0.26 suggests Everton largely succeeded in keeping clear opportunities at the other end to a minimum.
Lesson 2: Exploiting Zone 14 and the half-spaces
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Jack Grealish looked for space between the Wolves midfield and defence, while Tyler Dibling provided a different threat by holding his width on the right.
Dibling created two big chances and won nine duels, while Garner supplied four key passes and also created two big chances from deeper positions. Our piece on Tyler Dibling’s role on the wing looks more closely at what he offered Moyes’ side.
Everton did not make enough of those openings for much of the evening, but five big chances and an xG approaching 1.7 show there was more attacking threat than the 1-0 scoreline alone suggests.
Lesson 3: Pressing intensity and PPDA improvements
There is no verified PPDA figure from the game, so attaching a number to Everton’s pressing would still be guesswork. What can be said is that Wolves completed considerably fewer passes and struggled to turn their limited possession into meaningful opportunities.
Thierno Barry led Everton’s work from the front, while Hackney and Garner helped maintain the structure behind him. The visitors managed only six attempts and two on target before Alcaraz finally provided the decisive moment.
Our post-match reaction to the victory has more from inside the Hill Dickinson after Everton secured their place in the next round.
The scoreline was narrow, but the numbers were rather less so. Everton had to wait for the goal, but their advantage in xG, chances and territory suggests the eventual victory was deserved.
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