Wolves Fans' Verdict v Everton: Such soft goals

Matt Cooper (Talking Wolves)

Another disappointing result and that’s now two wins in 11 in the league which is worrying form.

I think we are way too good to go down but unless we invest this January, it certainly looks like mid table mediocrity with the injuries we have - which is frustrating considering the dream we have been sold.

The exclusion of Adama was a big problem and it meant that if anything was going to happen tonight, it would have to be a bit of magic from Neto.

Didn’t quite understand the game plan, not sure why Silva was drifting out wide but the team look deflated.

The defending for both Everton goals wasn’t good enough and we can’t afford to give goals away like that when we are creating next to nothing.

This season is slowly becoming a bit of a write off now and I certainly feel detached watching it. It’s just not the same.

Clive Smith

Our long list of missing players caught up with us in the end. It was a far from ideal starting line up and going a goal down so early could well have led to a heavy defeat. Instead we dominated the rest of the first half and played some neat fluent football.

It was a poor goal to concede with Semedo, Neves, Dendoncker and Coady all in the category of 'could do better'. From them on though the defence played well as a unit. We covered well when our full backs were caught up field and managed any crosses comfortably.

In attack we made full use of the advanced fullbacks who were both involved in neat triangles of passes. It was from Ait-Nouri getting to the byline that set Neves up.

We should have added to that goal though. Silva had the chance to beat Pickford from close range and Dendonker continues to get into good positions only to waste his chances. That continues to be our collective issue, without these chances being put away we are struggling to win games.

Neither side looked likely to score in the second half. We looked weary and had nothing from the bench to improve our options in the final third. To be fair, Hoever played well, but it was in the same area of the pitch as Semedo and not in their box which is where we most needed help.

Yet again we were undone by a headed goal. There seems to have been so many of those this season.

Although Dendoncker disappointed in front of goal his role again brought the best out of MOTM Neves and Moutinho. Again MGW failed to make any significant contribution and the game passed him by for long spells. Silva and Neto were both lively in the first half but struggled after the break to make an impact despite their hard work which was, more often than not, in our own half of the pitch.

With Jimenez, Boly, Jonny, Podence, Traore missing there is no point beating ourselves up. Having those available we would have more than matched Everton even if their missing players had been selected.

Adam Virgo

Different game but the same story once again as previous league games. Conceding the same types of goals, not looking threatening enough in attack, just more frustration.

Everton had no Allan or Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison could only make the bench so we can’t sit there and blame this solely on injuries. There’s more to it than just that, we haven’t been playing great for a while, even when we had Raúl, Boly, Podence etc.

We can’t keep starting games like we are and conceding first, just making everything harder for ourselves. We reacted well and did well up until half time.

Second half we didn’t do anywhere near enough to test Pickford apart from the Neves shots. Everton offered very little too but we ended up in a losing position once again, the game was there for someone to win and they grasped it with both hands whilst we just passed it sideways constantly.

Neves was our best player by far, didn’t deserve to be on the losing side. He is one player I fear could easily leave at the end of this season if we carry on like we are. A top team will come in for him, maybe others too, and what right do we have as a team currently in the bottom half to keep him and some of the other very good players we have.

One win in eight in the Premier League for the players we have isn’t good enough. The next one against West Brom is huge, not only for it being a derby but the fact they’re 19th in the league, they look absolutely dreadful under Allardyce and if we lose then I dread to think what will happen.

For me, West Brom and Chorley are must wins, we can’t afford to drop points against Albion and a cup game against a team in the sixth tier, if we get knocked out we will be the laughing stock of the country.

Rob Cartwright

So frustrating. Wolves were on top for 70 minutes. Enjoyed plenty of possession and created twice as many goal attempts than Everton, yet poor defending has cost us the game again.

We made life hard when conceding after 5 minutes. A cross into the box should have been dealt with. Defenders were there in good numbers, but were statuesque giving Iwobi a simple task of picking his spot.

Wolves went on to control the game and looked much the better team for the remainder of the first half. The midfield and defence kept a good solid shape. We were lacking up front with an ineffective Gibbs-White with a mis-firing Silva. We were getting plenty of balls into their box without having players ready to capitalise.

We equalised with a fine volley from Neves, after great work by Alt-Nouri down the left and a perfect cross.

If we’d continued this way in the second half, I’m sure we would have won. We didn’t.

We huffed and puffed but created very little danger.

The longer the game went on, the more I could see an Everton goal coming against the run of play. The goal came after 77 minutes, a fabulous cross by Gomes should have been dealt with by Saiss, Dendoncker or Alt-Nouri. Keane got there first and headed past Rui who remained rooted to the spot.

Wolves best attempts were both by Neves. A carbon copy of the Derby wonder goal went just wide this time. Then, towards the end, another long range effort hit the corner of cross bar and post. We didn’t put Pickford under hardly enough pressure.

Man of the match was Neves, by a long way. Neto was great first half but not so in the second. Alt-Nuori was excellent going forward and Semedo did well too.

Coady and Saiss were not good enough.

Hoever came on, playing 30 minutes on the right wing. I didn’t understand this change. The sub should have been Cutrone for Silva with Gibbs-White playing just behind him. Vitinha could have replaced Gibbs-White to play in that same role, if needed.

It’s a poor run of results, since Jimenez was injured. We have little options on our bench with 4 of our subs never having played a first team game. We are not playing badly, but with too many defensive errors and we lack a cutting edge in front of goal.

Just remember, we have 7 first team starters out injured. We had no close season, no break after last season and no preseason training.

It’s not nice to see, but it is understandable.

A nervous few days coming up with both the Black Country Derby and the FA Cup game to come. We should win both, but both are potential banana skins!

Russ Evers

A game between two average looking sides where the better of the average teams lost ! That said if you do not stop crosses going into the box and then fail to win the vital defensive headers you are always going to struggle.

Semedo really impresses going forward but he needs to do a whole world of learning how to defend and tonight I thought Fabio, Gibbs-White and Dendoncker seemed to really struggle with very little sticking for them.

Everton were there for the taking but they were the ones who took and move up to third.

Tonight really brought home that the small squad and large injury list is going to hurt us but its a rebuilding year and almost everything now rests on the next two games where we must lay the ghosts of two of the most harrowing defeats in the last 35 years or so of this great club.

Comfortable (and bigger) wins against Sandwell and Chorley will see the season back on track and the smiles returning as much as the Fosun chequebook coming out a couple or more times in the next fortnight.