Everton secured their place in the hat for the next round of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night.
David Moyes’ side sealed their spot in the draw through a 2-0 victory against Mansfield Town at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
The Toffees have now made it two wins out of two in their opening games at their new stadium.
Moyes went fairly strong with his starting XI, which even saw Jack Grealish start for Everton against Mansfield.
There have been some exciting new additions to the Everton side over recent weeks, which is going to leave Moyes with a real selection headache.
Tyler Dibling came off the bench to make his first Everton appearance after signing on Monday.
However, there was another player who may have just cemented his spot in Moyes’ plans for the game on the weekend against Wolves.
Everton v Mansfield Town - Carabao Cup Second Round
Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images
Carlos Alcaraz will earn the plaudits in Everton victory
The player to break the deadlock was Carlos Alcaraz, who signed permanently earlier this summer after his initial loan spell.
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Michael Ball criticised Alcaraz on the back of his display against Leeds United in the curtain raiser last week.
Wednesday’s display saw a much-improved version of the Argentine, who scored a simply stunning goal to get the Blues off the mark.
With Moyes clearly not willing to throw Dibling straight into the starting XI, this has kept the door open for Alcaraz to make his claim for the spot.
Dibling joined Everton in a deal worth around £35m. So, his time will certainly come, but for now, it could be Alcaraz’s spot to lose.
The goal on Wednesday was not his first on home soil, with Alcaraz scoring the very first goal at the Hill Dickinson Stadium against Port Vale in a friendly.
His goal capped off an all round performance from the attacking midfielder, who may have secured his spot in the XI for the game at the weekend.
Alcaraz has given Moyes something to think about ahead of Wolves
Goals have been a real issue for Everton in recent years, so Alcaraz’s strike on Wednesday will have impressed Moyes.
“It was going to take something special to beat Mansfield Town’s keeper because he’s made some marvellous saves, and it certainly was from Carlos Alcaraz,” said Michael Bridges on BBC Sport.
The 62-year-old withdrew the midfielder after 78 minutes, which may well be an indication that he will remain in the XI for the weekend.
78 minutes played
1 goal
65 touches
3/3 long passes completed
5/7 ground duels won
2 tackles
There will be an expectation for Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall to return into the side on Saturday, which could push Alcaraz back out right.
Moyes could well slowly introduce Dibling given his age, and Alcaraz has certainly done all he can to keep his name on the team sheet.