Everton's run in the Carabao Cup ended in disappointing fashion today at Molineux, as David Moyes' much-changed side looked out of sorts from the opening kickoff. The 2-0 loss to Wolves will see the hosts through to the next round.
While it was heartening to see new signings like Tyler Dibling get his first real run with the Toffees, the seven changes that Moyes opted for to give some players a bit of rest after Saturday's Merseyside derby defeat ended up backfiring on the manager.
Instead of fresh legs, Everton supporters saw a disjointed, confused set up that saw club captain Seamus Coleman slot in at left back while two natural left sided players sat on the bench, and forced a front four of Dwight McNeil, Charly Alcaraz, Dibling, and Thierno Barry to replicate the firepower that Jack Grealish and Iliman Ndiaye have displayed so far this season.
Wolves controlled the ball for most of the first half, finishing the first 45 minutes with 64% of the possession, although outside of the goal, they weren't able to do much with the ball when they had it.
The aforementioned goal came in the 29th minute when a ball into the box by Ladislav Krejci led to a strong hit by Jhon Arias, which was parried away by Everton goalkeeper Mark Travers. But it only fell as far as Marshall Munetsi, who smashed it into the back of the net to give the hosts the 1-0 lead.
The second half saw Beto come on for Barry, the reverse substitution having taken place on the weekend at Liverpool, and the Frenchman had done very little to get involved in the match. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall also came on for Alcaraz, who was also fairly quiet on the day.
Those subs made a difference in the game, as Everton began to take the game to Wolves a bit more. The additions of Ndiaye and Grealish for Dibling and McNeil made that even more the case, as the Toffees fought for an equalizer.
The closet they came to scoring was from a James Garner free kick just outside the edge of the penalty box to the goalkeeper's right side, which smashed into the crossbar and fell hopelessly away. As hard as the substitutes pushed, it wasn't enough, and a late goal from Tolu Arokodare sealed the deal for the home side in the 88th minute.
Everton will need to brush themselves off and prepare for West Ham to visit Hill Dickinson Stadium next Monday, while Wolves can look forward to the draw for the next round of the Carabao Cup and a trip to Tottenham on Saturday.