Wolves made it three straight wins and now sit on the brink of the top half of the Premier League table after hammering suddenly struggling Everton 3-0 at Molineux Stadium on Saturday.
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Gary O’Neil’s side (28 points - 11th place) has now beaten Chelsea, Brentford and Everton in successive games while scoring nine goals in the process, a far cry from the dull, defensive days of past Wolves sides. Everton (16 points - 17th), meanwhile, head into 2024 just a point above the relegation zone and newly promoted Luton Town, who have a game in hand.
Wolves were far and away the more dangerous side in the opening 45 minutes, though the sides matched one another with four shots apiece. The home side was consistently a threat on the counter-attack, though, with Hwang Hee-chan causing considerable chaos down the left.
The opening goal, however, came from a corner midway through the first half, as Craig Dawson was first denied from point-blank range but the ball rolled helplessly along the end line and Max Kilman lunged forward to smash it home and put Wolves on the path to a third straight victory.
Goal no. 2 came shortly after the restart, and Wolves’ tails were well and truly up at that point. Pablo Sarabia played a dangerous through ball behind the Everton defense to spring Hwang into acres of space and he put his cross where no one in a gray shirt could reach it. Matheus Cunha made the lung-bursting run to the back post and slammed home from inside the six for a thoroughly deserved 2-0 lead.
It didn’t take long for the third goal to arrive, as Cunha whipped a curling ball into the penalty area from deep on the left wing. Center back Craig Dawson was lurking on the edge of the penalty area and got the slightest of touches as the ball came in, redirecting it out of Jordan Pickford’s reach to put the game to bed.
Gary O’Neil, Premier League manager of the year?
O’Neil took over as Wolves boss on Aug. 9 of this year. Wolves kicked off their 2023-24 Premier League campaign on Aug. 14. The opening few weeks were rough — predictably so — with four defeats from their first five games, but since then they have lost just four of their next 15 and shown incredible progress toward becoming a more balanced, well-rounded side that can win games a number of different ways.
Perhaps most impressive is the fact that their recent goal rush has come with early-season star Pedro Neto (1 goal, 7 assists this season), who made his return and played 10 minutes on Saturday, out for two months with a hamstring injury. A top-half finish isn’t just a lofty goal for Wolves this season. Given their recent form and growth in O’Neil’s first few months at the helm, it is quickly becoming the minimum expectation.
What’s next?
Wolves will kick off 2024 with an FA Cup third-round tie against Brentford on Friday (2:15 pm ET) before taking their one-week winter break and resuming Premier League play away to Brighton on Jan. 22. Everton will head to Selhurst Park to face Crystal Palace in the FA Cup on Thursday (3 pm ET) before hosting Aston Villa on Jan. 14, followed by their winter break.
Player ratings - Wolves vs Everton
Wolves vs Everton, final score: 3-0
Goalscorers: Max Kilman (25'), Matheus Cunha (53'), Craig Dawson (61')
25th minute - GOAL - Max Kilman cleans up a mess on the goal line to put Wolves ahead
53rd minute - GOAL - Matheus Cunha slams home Hwang’s cross to double Wolves’ lead
61st minute - GOAL - Craig Dawson gets the slightest of touches to make it 3-0
How to watch Wolves vs Everton live, stream link and start time
Kick off: 10am ET, Saturday (December 30)
TV Channel: USA Network
Online: Watch live on NBCSports.com
Wolves starting lineup
Sa — Dawson, Kilman, Gomes — Semedo, Gomes, Doyle, Ait-Nouri — Sarabia, Hwang, Cunha
Everton starting lineup
Pickford — Patterson, Keane, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko — Harrison, Garner, Onana, McNeil — Calvert-Lewin
Focus on Wolves, team news
OUT: Mario Lemina (personal), Jonny (disciplinary - club), Joe Hodge (shoulder)| QUESTIONABLE: Pedro Neto (thigh), Jean-Ricner Bellegarde (illness)
Focus on Everton, team news
OUT: Dele Alli (groin), Idrissa Gana Gueye (undisclosed) | QUESTIONABLE: Abdoulaye Doucoure (hamstring), Ashley Young (knock), Seamus Coleman (undisclosed).