A round-up of how the national media reported on Everton's 1-1 draw at Wolverhampton Wanderers
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Everton extended their unbeaten run in the Premier League to eight matches under David Moyes with a 1-1 draw at Wolverhampton Wanderers that maintains the 10-point gap between themselves and Vitor Pereira’s outfit.
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The result also left the Blues closer to the Champions League qualification places than the relegation zone in terms of points but both sides were missing key attacking personnel and it showed at times at Molineux.
Here’s a round-up of how the national media reported on the contest in the West Midlands...
READ MORE: Jarrad Branthwaite and Beto pay price as astonishing Everton point emergesREAD MORE: David Moyes 'disappointment' speaks volumes as Everton boss reflects on Wolves draw
Fast start but Everton weren't able to build on taking the lead
Joe Bernstein, Daily Mail
Wolves showed they are more than a one-man team as star man Matheus Cunha watched from the stands beginning a minimum three-match ban. Marshall Munetsi scored his first goal for the Old Gold before he had to come off at half-time and only saves from Everton’s England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford denied Vitor Pereira’s men the victory they deserved. Wolves are still only six points above the relegation zone but if they match Saturday night's spirit in their remaining 10 matches, they should be safe.
Though the visitors weren’t able to build on taking the lead through Jack Harrison, their unbeaten league run under David Moyes is now eight games since he returned to replace Sean Dyche in January. Cunha’s red card at Bournemouth – and a pending FA charge of improper conduct - deprived Wolves of their talisman and Everton started fast with Abdoulaye Doucoure, Jarrad Branthwaite and Beto all going close in the opening 10 minutes. Wolves responded with a header by Munetsi saved at point-blank range by Pickford but were stunned by Everton taking the lead after 33 minutes. Jesper Lindstrom slipped as he made a pass to Harrison on the edge of the penalty area but the ball still reached its intended target. Harrison took a good first touch before firing into the corner via a deflection off Matt Doherty’s heel. It was the winger’s first goal of the season at the 28th attempt. Wolves needed to respond quickly to lift the mood and they did so after 40 minutes. Jean-Ricner Bellegarde ran towards the Everton penalty area at pace and slid a pass towards Munetsi. Branthwaite, being watched by England coach Anthony Barry, should have dealt with it but got his feet in a muddle and the ball reached the £16million Zimbabwean, signed from Reims in January, who stroked the ball past Pickford. Munetsi didn’t reappear for the second half after feeling a twinge from an old injury but Wolves continued to dictate and Pickford beat out a shot from Stand Larsen from an acute angle. At the other end, Sa saved from Beto.
Turgid affair with Everton as blunt as their hosts
Will Unwin, The Guardian
It would be harsh to describe Wolves as a one-man team but Matheus Cunha is the key reason they have kept their heads above water in the Premier League. In his absence, they lacked imagination and quality in the final third, mustering a deserved draw against Everton when there was an opportunity to win. Wolves are six points clear of the relegation zone, but on a weekend where Southampton and Ipswich had already lost, while Leicester face a difficult trip to Chelsea on Sunday, it felt like a missed opportunity. There were individual milestones as Jack Harrison scored his first goal in over a year for Everton and Marshall Munetsi opened his account for Wolves but it was a turgid affair at Molineux. Without Cunha, who has scored 13 and assisted a further four in the Premier League this season, Wolves were unable to make the most of enjoying two-thirds of possession throughout the match, rustling three shots on target. Munetsi had a first-half header saved from close range by Jordan Pickford, who also repelled a flash across goal by Jørgen Strand Larsen in the final quarter of a match that always seemed destined to end with parity. The visitors were more incisive in the early stages and had three chances in quick succession. Abdoulaye Doucouré had a shot blocked on the line, Jarrad Branthwaite’s goalbound header flicked wide off a golden shoulder and Beto was too slow to reach a Harrison cross. It was a low quality affair from the start and the opening goal arrived through a mixture of incompetence and luck. Emmanuel Agbadou’s dreadful clearance was headed straight back by James Tarkowski to Jesper Lindstrøm. The right winger slipped when seeking out Harrison on the other side but the ball still found him, allowing him to control and shoot, with the ball nestling in the bottom corner thanks to a Matt Doherty deflection. Jean-Ricner Bellegarde was the most likely candidate to provide dynamism in the final third for Wolves in Cunha’s absence. He flashed a shot inches wide from the edge of the box before initiating the equaliser. The Frenchman drove down the middle and slipped a pass into the area, it looked like Branthwaite had it covered but he got his feet in a muddle, allowing Munetsi to capitalise from close range seven minutes after the opener. Injury prevented Munetsi from returning for the second half, although he did not miss much. Everton were equally as blunt as the hosts, missing their own spark in Iliman Ndiaye, forcing David Moyes to send on Carlos Alcaraz to sharpen up their attack. He created his side’s best chance of the second half by instigating a break and sending Beto through one-on-one but the goalkeeper José Sá got down quickly to his left and secured a point for his team.
Lack of intensity as both teams accept a draw
Paul Rowan, The Times
Wolverhampton Wanderers pulled a precious point clearer of the relegation zone with a draw against Everton which, judging by the lack of intensity in the second half, both teams were happy to accept. In the reshuffle caused by the suspension of Matheus Cunha for his red card against Bournemouth, Emmanuel Agbadou went straight into the side on his return.
Abdoulaye Doucouré was back for Everton after missing the Brentford game because of the birth of his son and he almost broke the deadlock in the 12th minute but Agbadou managed to divert his shot. Jarrad Branthwaite’s header from the subsequent corner was again deflected away, but the next deflection would work in Everton’s favour, just after the half-hour mark.
James Tarkowski got to the loose ball and his clever header picked out Jesper Lindstrom, who moved the ball quickly across the area to Jack Harrison, whose shot spun off the shin of Matt Doherty and into the net.
The equaliser arrived just before half-time as Bellegarde cut inside and his ball across the goal bamboozled Branthwaite, who got his feet in a tangle. With a challenge from behind, Marshall Munetsi did well to stay on his feet and stroke the ball home.
There were few chances after the interval. Jordan Pickford denied Jorgen Strand Larsen, while at the other end Beto was played in by Carlos Alcaraz but telegraphed his intentions and José Sá saved low to his right.
Absent attackers were evident
Sunny Badwal, Independent
Marshall Munetsi’s first-half equaliser helped Wolves move six points clear of the Premier League relegation zone following a 1-1 draw with Everton at Molineux. Ipswich’s late defeat at Crystal Palace handed the opportunity over for Wolves to open up a further gap to the bottom three and Munetsi’s first goal for the club earned Vitor Pereira’s side a vital point in their quest for survival. The goal came seven minutes after Everton went in front through Jack Harrison’s first goal since February 2024 as David Moyes’ side extended their unbeaten run to eight matches.
With Matheus Cunha missing for the hosts and Iliman Ndiaye injured for Everton, both teams were missing key components in attack and it was evident with the lack of quality in the final third during the second period. The two goalkeepers were not the busiest throughout the evening, but Jordan Pickford did well to deny Jorgen Strand Larsen and Jose Sa kept out Beto with Everton’s best chance of the half as both sides settled for a point. Everton – in fine form since Moyes’ return as boss – struck in the 33rd minute to go ahead. Emmanuel Agbadou’s intended clearance gifted possession straight back to Everton and Jesper Lindstrom had all the time in the world to pick out Harrison, who fired beyond Sa with the help of a deflection off Matt Doherty. The visitors were behind for only seven minutes before they were on level terms. Jean-Ricner Bellegarde was proving to be a menace on the wing as he drifted infield and threaded a pass to Munetsi, which Branthwaite failed to deal with before the Zimbabwean expertly dispatched to open his account. Certain parts of Molineux thought Wolves had taken the lead, but Pablo Sarabia’s free-kick curled into the wrong side of the netting just after the break. Everton almost punished the hosts with a devastating counter attack when Charly Alcaraz burst through the middle of the park and slid through to Beto, but he was denied by the diving Sa.
Everton get the last laugh as broadcasters burned again and Moyes luxury clear
Joe Thomas, ECHO
Everton had the last laugh in a poor game that ended in a draw that suited both sides. It is hard to escape the conclusion the Blues were thrown into the Saturday night graveyard shift because the world of football hoped to be able to watch as they fought a relegation dogfight with Wolverhampton Wanderers.But the resurgence of recent weeks turned this into a game without an edge for David Moyes’ side, while Wolves also left Molineux with growing confidence they too might avoid sleepless nights in May.Just like last season, when the authorities conspired to throw Everton into a late-night kick-off at Luton Town, the Blues were able to render the game almost meaningless by taking the sting out of their survival fight well in advance.The broadcasters may have to rethink their approach after being burned again. Not just because they were left with a match in which a point was useful to both teams, but also because the two teams served up a contest low on quality.