Everton secured their second win on the trot after beating Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-2 at the Molineux Stadium on Saturday.
The Toffees were brilliant attacking-wise and goals from Beto (7’), Iliman Ndiaye (33’) and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (55’) secured all three points for David Moyes’ side. While Wolves levelled proceedings through Hwang Hee-Chan (21’) and later threatened to share spoils after Rodrigo Gomes (79’) scored, they were clearly second-best in this game.
Jack Grealish, Dewsbury-Hall, and Ndiaye ran the show for the Blues, who are heading into the first international break of the season on six points after three matches.
Here are the player ratings from the game:
Jordan Pickford - 6
There’s very little that Pickford could have done for the two goals Everton conceded at Molineux Stadium. England’s number 1 had a good game otherwise. He was quick to come off his line to snuff out half-chances and also cleared and distributed the ball well from his own box.
Jake O’Brien - 5
Jake O’Brien looked sloppy in the first half as he was not comfortable enough playing close to the touchline to escape the Wolves pressure. Everton lost possession a few times down the right flank with O’Brien on the ball. Had a more conservative second-half and used his strength and height well to get rid of danger when Wolves pressed forward.
James Tarkowski - 6
James Tarkowski could’ve done a lot better for the first Wolves goal. He passed Hwang-hee Chan to anticipate the cross from Munetsi, leaving the task to the man behind, but his teammate was nowhere close to the Wolves striker. Had a strong game besides that moment and was stubborn in his duels with the opposition attackers.
Michael Keane - 7
Keane looked the better of the two central defenders and produced an air of authority when dealing with challenges with Wolves upping the ante. He was also more responsible in building from the back and did well to leave the header as Beto tucked it home early on.
Vitalii Mykolenko - 5
Vitalii Mykolenko, making his first league start this season after a short injury-ridden spell on the sidelines, had a mixed game. He was wonderful going forward and it was his excellent cross to find Grealish at the back post that led to the first goal. The left-back also won the ball from a high Wolves turnover in their own half that led to the third goal for the Blues.
However, Mykolenko’s defensive game was lacking today. He was caught sleeping for the second Wolves goal and failed to anticipate Rodrigo Gomes’ run just in front of him. Mykolenko was also lucky to escape with a foul after attracting Munetsi’s attention in his own box.
James Garner - 6
It was a scrappy display from Garner in the middle of the park and he showed maturity in the second half with Everton under pressure on a few occasions. Put in an excellent sliding tackle in the box to block Hugo Bueno’s cross in the second half.
Idrissa Gueye (off for Tim Iroegbunam at 76’) - 7
While he had some sloppy touches that led to Wolves countering in the first half, Idrissa Gueye had a more composed performance in the second half. He pressed high, won several balls before feeding the likes of Ndiaye, Dewsbury-Hall and Grealish in the final third.
Everton lost control in the middle when Gueye came off, which just goes to show his importance to the side.
Iliman Ndiaye (off for Seamus Coleman at 90+5’) - 8
It was a lively display from Ndiaye on the right flank, who used his supreme technique and flair to get out of difficult situations time and time again. Was at the back-post to convert Dewsbury-Hall’s cross and score the go-ahead goal for his side.
It was the second league goal for Ndiaye in as many matches and he also showed a lot of intensity while performing defensive duties and covering the opposition full-back.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall - 9
The newcomer dropped his best performance in a Blue shirt and stole the show at Molineux Stadium. His first goal for Everton, a shot that rocketed past Jose Sa at the near post from an acute angle, provided the side with a two-goal cushion in the second half.
Dewsbury-Hall also set up the second goal for the Blues after lovely combinations with Grealish at the edge of the box before firing in the cross to find Ndiaye at the far post.
When Everton were under pressure in the closing stages, the midfielder won fouls with his clever touches and turns to relieve the pressure off his side.
Jack Grealish (off for Carlos Alcaraz at 88’) - 9
Jack Grealish’s game can be summed up in the words of his manager when Moyes said immediately after the game, “The biggest compliment I can say about Jack is that he’s even better than I thought he was.”
In his short career with the Toffees so far, Grealish hasn’t had a single bad game. He was majestic once again at Molineux. It was Grealish’s mazy run that forced the corner, which led to the opening goal after he set Beto up with a cushioned header at the far post.
Grealish then grabbed his fourth assist in two league starts after playing a chipped pass to Dewsbury-Hall. In just three matches in the league so far, Grealish has racked up four assists - twice the number that Jack Harrison and Jesper Lindstrom registered for Everton combined across all competitions last season.
Beto (off for Thierno Barry at 76’) - 7
Got the first goal of the afternoon with a simple finish but commanded the box well to head the ball home on his return to the starting lineup. Beto also made a clever dummy to let the ball reach Ndiaye for the second goal. He also showed better holdup play and beat the attention of his markers more often than in his last start against Leeds United.
Substitutions
Thierno Barry - 6
Barry was a willing runner after coming off the bench and looked lively.
Tim Iroegbunam - 5
Iroegbunam struggled to establish authority with Wolves dictating play late in the game.
Carlos Alcaraz - N/A
Alcaraz lost the ball to Rodrigo Gomes late in the game but the mistake went unpunished.
Seamus Coleman - N/A
Had little to do after coming on for the final minute of added time.
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