Wolves 0 Everton 3

Three first-half wonder goals ended a dominant Wolves start and deepened the relegation worries.

Wolves looked the only team going to win it after 20 minutes and forced numerous chances to score.

But a combination of awful defending and stunning finishing saw Everton win the game by half-time.

Jermaine Beckford's header in the 21st minute was followed by long range shots from Phil Neville on 39 and Dimitar Bilyaletdinov on 45.

But Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard made excellent saves from Karl Henry and Adlene Guedioura after the break.

However, there was little of a revival to give fans hope that relegation can be avoided as Wolves' equal biggest defeat since 21 November 2009 made it seven goals against in two games.

After wasting a chance to gain early ground from a lunchtime kick-off, there is another two-week wait before they get the opportunity to take out their frustrations.

Wolves made two changes to the side beaten 4-1 at Newcastle last week.

The big news was the return of Guedioura making his first Premier League start of the season after returning from a broken leg.

The Algeria World Cup star replaced Adam Hammill, who dropped to the bench, as manager Mick McCarthy opted for extra physical strength down the right flank.

The other replacement was expected, with Steven Fletcher in up front for midfielder Nenad Milijas as McCarthy switched to 4-4-2.

Wolves piled forward from the off, looking far more on their game than at Newcastle last week.

Guedioura saw a fierce drive blocked from the edge of the box and Jamie O'Hara volleyed a few feet over as Wolves forced four corners in the first 10 minutes.

ut the home side went closest to breaking the deadlock in the seventh minute when Fletcher's header was nodded off the line from Jarvis' flag-kick.

Wolves continued to attack and Sylvan Ebanks-Blake should perhaps have shot when he brilliantly made the most of Jarvis' pass to escape the clutches of Phil Jagielka and Sylvain Distin to leave himself with only Howard to beat.

But the seven-goal striker opted to check back as he ran out of room and the supporting O'Hara couldn't get a shot in either.

Seconds later, Fletcher was fractionally away from connecting with Jarvis' cross after the England winger dribbled right in on goal.

Wolves were made to pay as Everton took the lead with their first attack.

A volleyed pass from John Heitinga found Leon Osman in space on the right and from his cross, Beckford got across goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey to glance the ball into the top corner of the net.

The goal – as well as a clash of heads between Bilyaletdinov and O'Hara in which the latter needed treatment and a new shirt – took the wind out of Wolves' sails.

Everton were increasingly finding gaps in Wolves' shaky defence and the hosts almost slipped 2-0 behind through their own doing.

Christophe Berra was far too easily beaten out wide by Osman and the midfielder's cross again found the head of Beckford, this time Hennessey pulling off a fine diving save diving to his left.

Wolves stormed back and shoot-on-sight O'Hara was denied when another blockbuster was diverted away by the diving Distin, before Ebanks-Blake's point-blank effort was blocked by Osman from four yards out from Jarvis' cross.

But, just as soon as Wolves looked to find a way back, Everton scored two high quality goals that left McCarthy's men staring defeat in the face.

Neville found the top corner from the edge of the box six minutes before the break ,after Elokobi's mis-directed header was saved by Hennessey from Leighton Baines' free kick and Beckford retrieved the loose ball to find Neville.

With Wolves' defence at sixes and sevens, only some quick-thinking and bravery from Hennessey racing from his line denied Everton a certain third goal as Beckford was allowed to run clean through.

But Everton duly made it 3-0 seconds before half-time with an absolute screamer from Bilyaletdinov from 30 yards which swerved away from Hennessey and ripped into the top corner after Fletcher's pass on in the centre circle was left by O'Hara.

Worse was to follow as Ebanks-Blake went off at the break with a hamstring injury which saw the introduction of Michael Kightly.

Wolves claimed a penalty for a handball by Tony Hibbert after Jarvis fired the ball against the grounded full-back on 52, but the Everton player knew little about it and it would have been a harsh decision.

Wolves attempted to get a revival going but Howard showed superb reflexes to palm away Karl Henry's angled drive arrowing towards the top corner on 61, then leapt smartly to deny Guedioura's flying header a minute later.

Fletcher's glancing header was deflected wide to produce what was Wolves' 11th corner on 63 minutes.

But Wolves' fire fizzled out and they ended the game without a striker after Fletcher was withdrawn for Hammill eight minutes from time, by which point many of the 28,352 crowd had drifted away.