Everton 1-0 Wolverhampton Wanderers | Match Reaction

Yeah. Welcome to Sophie TV. This is the match reaction. Everton won. Wolverampton wonders nil in the Caribou Cup tonight at Hill Dickinson Stadium. uh on a night when the UK prime minister and the Canadian prime minister were in attendance uh as everonians to see the Topies get their place in round four of the Caribou Cup. Wasn't a great game. Listen, all that matters I suppose when you look back on it is that we're through. We will play Newcastle United at home in the next round. But [sighs and gasps] it I come away a bit disappointed. I'm not going to lie. I can sit here and pretend it was great and and all of that, but that's not really what this is about. The manager when made some changes, changes I expected to be honest. The center back partnership was was changed, which I fully expected and then Jake O'Brien and Michael Keane came in at center back went with the same fullbacks basically because we haven't got anyone else. No M of course at the minute. He's out injured in midfield. There was a change Harrison Armstrong which was not in the squad but Alan Irvine said he had a a small injury that hopefully he'll be back for Saturday but this game came too soon for him and obviously with a small squad they're not going to risk it. So it was Hayden Hackne, James Garner and Jbury Hall in midfield. And on the left hand side, Jack Greish coming in for his first start and returning to Edton and Tyler Dibling was given a start on the right hand side. That's what I thought would happen. And up front was Tiero Barry. And the hope was there that Edton would get on the front foot and assert their authority against Wolves. But I have to be honest, I think Wolves started much better than us. They were knocking the ball around quite confidently. And they've made changes as well of course to their team, but they were knocking the ball around quite confidently in Everton huffed and puffed for the opening 10 or 15 minutes. Couldn't really get control of the game. Like I say, Wolves a couple of nice little moves, but the final pass just wasn't there. And too many times with these games, you go expecting that there's going to be changes, but you're hoping the team and the players that come in are up to speed straight away. and those changes don't really, you [clears throat] know, disjoint you at all. And you sort of get on that front foot and put teams to bed. But it just didn't happen for Edin like that tonight. And, you know, we had Tyler Dibling coming in and I really I really really want Tyler to do well. I'm willing him to do well every game. And overall, he's come away with man of the match. And I think it was, excuse [clears throat] me, it was a better performance from him. I still feel like there's loads more he should be doing. I feel like there's loads more he can do. I think a couple of times in the first half I was really pleased with him getting the fullback facing up, knocking it past them and he he stood one up with his right foot which was really good. Another one he got to the by line and cut it back and Wolves sort of got away with it. The defender slipped kicked it against one leg onto the other and into Jiao Virginia's arms. Um I want to see more of that from Tyler. I want to see him creating shots for himself and getting more balls into the box. But it was a it was a more pleasing thing to see him, you know, getting his head up and and starting to to try to influence things. I think obviously his confidence isn't very high, but seeing him for Southampton in the Premier League, you know, having really good games against Liverpool, Manchester City, United, running at them, direct running all the time and just really haven't seen that at Everton. So hopefully it will come. Um [clears throat] but he had a couple of good runs down that right hand side. On the other side, Jack Elish was he got on the ball a lot and he was trying to sort of make things happen, but he looked short to match fitness as well. Jack obviously it was his first start and his first start in what eight eight months or something since he last started for us at at Aston Villa. So it's going to take him a bit of time as well to get up to speed. He had a couple of good little runs, you know, um got a booking as well in the game. Was given a little bit of rough treatment by Wolves, but the referee who was absolutely terrible tonight. He was terrible a referee tonight. He really for both teams. There was a couple of fouls on Wolves plays. He let go. Fouls on us that were just ridiculous. He's just he's an awful We've had him before in the Premier League. He's an awful referee, but he was really bad tonight. Well, Everton huffed and puffed. Jack Reish had a shot which stung the fingertips of of Jiao Virginia. Um, too often though, our final ball was wasn't good enough again with some lovely intricate play at times. Got into that final third. Micheleno on a couple of occasions with poor poor deliveries, but he wasn't the only one. James Garner, Hayden Hackne had opportunities and couldn't couldn't do it. Um, but we had a really, really good chance for Thiago Barry. Hackne on a good little run, got pulled back to James Garner. Garner crosses it in and Thi Barry's pulled off the defender and heads it. It's a good header. It's powerful. Javag makes a fantastic save, but if Barry the bed it down, he just scored. It's as simple as that. And, you know, I think he's come back looking much better to I think he's put more work in. Um, I think he's looked a lot better, but he's got to start taking these chances. You know, we're not a team that scores tons of goals and we're going to need him to score goals and that one unfortunately Virginia's pushed over the bar. Got [clears throat] in at half time, nil nil, hadn't done enough. Um, the manager didn't make any changes at the break, come out, Everton got on the front foot a little bit in the opening four or five minutes. a couple of good little runs, lovely little move that got Michelenko in the box, but he he just rushed his cross when he'd done so well to get there and it was a good little ball and we had a shot that was blocked on Tuesday Hall. Um, [clears throat] and again then we went into a a a zone of controlling the game, but it was all too slow, too pedestrian. And you're not going to break a team down unless you move the ball quickly and you attack. And this is Everton's problem. There's just with having Greish on one side and Tyler Dibling on the other. You've got two players who very similarly slow the game like down. And there was no sort of variation in our play then because I thought Maitlin Niles had a decent game to be fair. But there's no there just wasn't enough movements everywhere. I just don't think if I'm being perfectly honest, I don't think anybody had a really good game tonight. I think like Dibling has had was a was much better than or better than what we've seen when he's played in the first team. I think his performance was better than what it was at Preston in the last round. The problem is for Tyler, he just doesn't get any consecutive minutes. So, he's going to have to just keep hoping that he's done enough to get himself a few minutes in the Premier League. And I just think I thought I thought we were off it. I thought James Garner didn't have a great game and yet, you know, his numbers are okay, but I think there's a lot of times Jimmy influences it a lot more. Jbury Hall Kan was fantastic last season. It just hasn't quite clicked yet. And I think tonight some good, some bad. Hayden Hackne similar. I've been really impressed with with Hayden since he come in, but tonight I just thought it just wasn't quite there for us. So listen to them. Look, you know, you don't go overboard at these things. It is what it is. And ultimately the only thing that mattered was that Everton won the game, but I just think we were a bit we were way below what I would expect from us to be fair. Um, so yeah, you know, we had to make the T. Sienna Barry went off. Brennan Johnson came on up front. Well, he he come on on the right first and went through. Sorry, come up on up front, didn't it? Looked like he was coming on the right cuz Tyler De Blink walked off only to be told to go back on if Tiero Barry come off and and he almost got it. He almost was rewarded straight away. Lovely little move. And again, I think it was Micheleno drove it across and Johnson come sliding in. If it got there, he'd have to tap him. for Java in a good pair of hands. And then we had a big moment where a lovely ball from Tyler Dibling split the defense and Johnson's pace got him there and he should have tried to dink it as he got there because he just went back across Java Virginia who saved with his feet. But I think if he could have just lifted the finish he'd have scored but it was a really intelligent run and he did he worked hard when he come on Brenon Johnson up there made some good runs but the truth be told it was frustrating. It was really really frustrating and you know Wolves didn't really offer too much but they had one breakaway with a low shot which Pigford saved with his feet was a good save and he had to be ready for that Jordan but then it was only really when Tyreek George and Charlie Alcarez come on Everett and stepped up again and you know George first thing he did get the ball and just went by two or three plays and got into the penalty area um straight away and put Wolves on the back foot. Michael Keane headed a good chance wide, but we then did get the breakthrough. Might Niles out to Tyler Dibling. Lovely little ball with the outside of his foot. Charlie Alcarez made a great run. Turned inside the defender and placed it into the far corner with his left foot to give us the lead. So, you know, good finish from Charlie there. And then I was disappointed after that with Everton's play. I really was. It was a case of they just kept the ball, you know, you want to see them. I wanted to see them go and put Wolves to the sword. Now, other people say, "Well, we managed the game well." I suppose we did, but when you're there in that st, you know, in that ground and you want to see a bit more entertainment from your team, you want to see the team going and putting a championship team to to the sword. And that's not disrespectful to us, but they are at the minute. You want to see us going at them, and we didn't. And what that does is it sets up an opportunity for them to to just grab something late on. And they nearly did it. They got themselves a free kick. A ball come in, it broke, then it goes out for a corner. And you're thinking if they this corner comes in and they get a connection on it. It's 1-1. And it was in sort of like the 91st minute of three minutes. You think they score, chances are it's going to penalties and anything can happen. So I was a bit disappointed with that. other people might be okay with it. I was really frustrated with it. I won't lie. Um, but listen, we've won the game 1 nil. It's another clean sheet, which is good. Again, Jake O'Brien thought he did he did, you know, decent alongside Michael Keane there at center back. So, you know, another another victory with him playing center back is good. It's six games unbeaten, so I can't complain. And I'm not. It's just I just wanted and expected a little bit more. Uh, Newcastle home in the next round. [clears throat] And we go on to Saturday now against Ipsswitch. And for me is probably a must-win game really. It'll be tough, don't get me wrong. It'll be a really difficult game, but they're a team. We don't score loads. They do give up a lot of chances. They have been scoring. So, we need to defend properly. But it's a great opportunity. We can beat it on Saturday. Then we go into this first international break in the the next round in the fourth round of the Carabal Cup and hopefully um with nine points so we can beat them out of the opening 15. So that'll be a really good start I think and opportunity to get people rested, get people who have carrying knocks fit again. Obviously want to see Norard after the break. Hopefully Merlin um if he's not back at the weekend then ready for when we return. And hopefully Harrison Armstrong injury isn't too bad and he is available for the game. So that's what we need and then I think that'll be a good start. So let me know what you think in the comments section below. But in the next round, what did you make of it all? Thanks for watching. See you later.