Sloppy Sluggish Blues shown how to finish by Charly Alcaraz | OneFootball

Carabao Cup Rnd 3: Everton 1 - 0 Wolves

Tonight's visitors to the Hill Dickinson Stadium are Wolverhampton Wanderers and there is a big score to settle after they dispatched a poor Blues side at the same stage last season. David Moyes is under immense pressure to show that he has the desire and the ability to deliver for Everton in the next round of the Carabao Cup.

The conundrum, of course, will be how to field a team that will get the required result while managing the confilcting constraints of individual players' match fitness and their needs for minutes in a competition that has for so long not been taken seriously.

No one can forget the dismissive words Moyes spouted when challenged about Everton's poor record under him in cup competitions, and his reply presented it as a choice between cup or league. Nothing could explain better his complete abrogation of responsibility when it comes to setting up his teams to properly compete in this competition.

So... will tonight be any different? It had better be, with a pretty strong team, Tarkowski, Branthwaite and George rested, Dibling finally getting a chance.

Former Everton goalkeepers, Joao Virginia starting and John Ruddy on the bench for the visitors.

First Half

Dewsbury-Hall kicked off and Everton played it around in their own half for the first minute before venturing forward and losing possession.

Dibling had a decent run interrupted, but nothing came of the free-kick.

Wolves got a free-kick that was taken pretty well, curling over the top corner of Pickford's goal. Everton tried to advance but Grealish committed another foul for Wolves, who had dominated the early exchanges.

Grealsih was hacked down by Tchachoua, who got an early yellow card for his poor effort. But Everton utterly failed to uuse the opportunity; Wolves turned it over, and Grealish committed a stupid foul for an early yellow card to him as well.

Everton finally got into the Wolves area after Dibling made a promising run but Hackney could not get a decent connection. Everton worked it around, Mykolenko forcing the first corner, gathered by the Wolves keeper.

Everton worked it around until Grealish put in a nice cross over the head of Barry and just beyond the far post. Grealish drove the Blues forward again but Mykolenko's cross was poor. Hackney tried to do his bit down the right but he was outwitted and fouled his man.

Neave appeared to be shoved over by O'Brien but no real penalty appeal, and Everton looked to build again but Dibling lost possession. Then Barry couldn't keep the ball in. The quality on show so far was frankly abysmal. At least Maitland-Niles had a go ad won another Everton corner.

Dewsbury-Hall but it was headed clear to Mykolenko, his shot blocked. But Everton won another corner, glanced into the side netting by O'Brien.

Grealish drew another typical foul, and he tried a clever ball over the top but Dewsbury-Hall couldn't reach it. A couple of decent Wolves attacks made the Hill Dickinson crowd a little more nervous as Everton were doing very little to impose themselves.

Finally, a great little run in along the byline by Dibling but Barry had come to the near post. After Jimenez took out Dibling, Hackney played a nice through a ball for Barry and it looked very much like the Everton forward was held back a little but he fought off the challenge. But Jimenez had hurt himself fouling Dibling and he had to be replaced by Adam Armstrong.

Tchatchoua tried a long-distance curler, way off target. Everton's build from the back was painfully slow until a long ball forward to Barry but that yeilded nothing. Dibling tried to advance but went backwards. The Blues got in into the area but Hackney couldn't wrap his foot around it.

Grealish got a nice chance to shoot from the dee, set up by Dewsbury-Hall after a great drive forward -- but it was his straight at Virginia with the whole goal to aim at. With 3 minutes added on, Everton were showing few signs of breaking the visitors down, with some really sloppy midfield play to boot.

But finally a great piece of play from Grealish, back to Garner whose cross picked out Barry at the far post, a fine header saved superbly one-handed, close in by Virginia.

But that was an aberration, the truly abysmal quality of the first half encapsulated in a dreadful attempt by O'Brien with the last kick of the half that flew miles over the Wolves goal.

Second Half

A nice run and pass forward by Dibling but the cross did not find Dewsbury-Hall. Everton got forward again, but no one wanted to shoot.

After better build-up work, a great ball from Dewsbury-Hall fizzed through to Barry just sailed right past the Everton centre-forward.

For Wolves, sub Armstrong burst forward and drove a great low cross in that went right through. Chirewa pulled back Dibling but no yellow card. Tchachoua pushed over Grealish, normally also a yellow card. But it was a horribly scrappy game all round.

Neave broke forward, battleing past Mykolenko and played in Armstrong, Pickford pulling off a brilliant, desperate lunging save with his foot. Grealish released Barry but he was easily overpowered by Toti.

Hackney looked to have broken through but he went down to more cries for a penalty. Grealish drew another foul but Keane powered his shot over the bar.

Barrey was finally pulled off, Johnson on in his place just before the hour mark. Grealish played in Garner on the overlap but his cross was very poor, straight to Virginia, who took too long, Everton getting the corner.

Everton were finally playing up; Garner's shot was parried by Virginia, then the ball coming out ot Maitland-Niles who was encouraged to shoot but couldn't find the space, and Wolves survived a better spell by Everton.

A brilliant ball through by Dibling looked to have played in Johnson but he thought a deft touch was better than putting his foot through the ball to lift it over the goalie but Virginia got a leg to it.

Everton tried to play it down the left but it just wasn't working, Dewsbury-Hall stepping on the ball at a crucial moment. Wolves were not giving any quarter, and Everton just lacked the required quality and intensity; Johnson, Grealish and Hackney just not making it happen.

Everton tried to work it around again but it all came to nothing as Hackney played a poor cross through everyone and behind.

Wolves came forward and caused total panic, Moyes deciding on more late changes that took an age to come on. George went on a good run but could only chip his cross to Virginia.

Dibling fought his way forward but horribly sliced his shot. But his next intervention saw a great little pass to Charly Alcaraz (80') who curled his shot around Virginia and into the net. Brilliant finishing that Everton have lacked so much.

At the other end, Everton were at sixes and sevens, Pickford almost spilling a shot from Doyle. Everton kept giving the ball to Dibling, expecting him to do something... but he just stalled and retreated each time, to keep possession as time ticked by.

Pickford with a hospital pass to O'Brien saw a foul called, O'Brien glancing the free-kick behind for a late Wolves corner. But Everton broke through Dewsbury-Hall, Doyle pulling him back: yellow card. Garner wasted the free-kick. George tried to create something, but again Dibling was so slow and easily shepherded out to the corner.

A late Wolves flurry ended what had been a pretty awful game that Everton scrapped through thanks to Charly Alcaraz.

Team Line-ups

Assistant Referee 1: Timothy Wood

Assistant Referee 2: Andrew Dallison

Fourth Official: John Busby