Everton 1-1 Wolves
by James Nalton
at Bramley Moore Dock

EVERTON held on for a point on Wednesday night against Wolves, despite ending the game with nine men, but both teams will believe different periods of the match offered a chance to win.

The home team were in full control for the opening 45 minutes. They had a goal to show for their efforts, but needed more. That was Everton’s chance to win, and they didn’t take it.

The big talking point was the red card Michael Keane received in the 83rd minute for pulling the hair of Tolu Arokodare.

The Everton centre-back looked to use his opponent’s back or shirt for leverage as he jumped, but, perhaps inadvertently, grabbed hair instead of shirt and was sent off for doing so.

By this time, Wolves had already found their equaliser. Throughout the second half, Wolves looked the team most likely to follow up with a second, both before and after the red card.

It was Keane who had opened the scoring for Everton. The defender turned goal poacher instinctively diverted Tim Iroegbunam’s shot high into the net to register his third Premier League goal of the season.

This puts him level with striker Thierno Barry and just one behind top scorers Iliman Ndiaye and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.

Keane often looks like Everton’s biggest threat when he finds himself in the opposition area, which doesn’t speak highly of the team’s strikers, and this is part of the reason they weren’t able to add a second.

Wolves’ second-half improvement was partly down to the changes made by manager Rob Edwards, who had noticed Everton weren’t pressing as high as he expected.

Midfielder Andre came on at halftime, while striker Jorgen Stand Larsen dropped deep to set up a goal two minutes after coming off the bench midway through the half.

Strand Larsen’s through-ball to 18-year-old wonderkid Mateus Mane was received by the teenager in full flight, before he zipped to the edge of the area and executed a high-quality finish past Jordan Pickford.

The England number one takes some beating these days, as Hugo Bueno found out when his effort, curling into the top corner, was palmed over by the outstretched Everton goalkeeper. Bueno thought it was in, as did his manager, but Pickford said no.

By the end of the game, Jack Grealish had joined Keane in the dressing room, picking up a second yellow for sarcastically applauding the referee after winning a foul.

This was Wolves’ chance to win, but like Everton before them, they couldn’t take it.