Richarlison At The Double As Everton See Off Wolves At Goodison

1st September 2019 - by Everton FC

The Brazilian Richarlison headed the winner on 80 minutes shortly after Raul Jimenez appeared to have rescued a point for the opponents

Richarlison of Everton celebrates after scoring a goal to make it 3-2 during the Premier League match between Everton FC and Wolverhampton Wanderers at Goodison Park on September 1, 2019 in Liverpool, United Kingdom. PHOTO/ GETTY IMAGES

SUMMARY

Minutes five to 12 of this game comprehensively firmly put to bed the notion Everton’s games would be low on goals this term
Jimenez’s sucker-punch equaliser with 15 minutes remaining represented a painful blow, then, primarily because it arrived from the blindside
Wolves went down to 10 men at the death, defender Willy Boly's two yellows for fouls on Richarlison adding up to a red

LIVERPOOL, England- Richarlison scored twice and Alex Iwobi marked his Everton home debut with a goal as Marco Silva’s side came out on top of a rip-roaring contest with Wolves.

Brazilian Richarlison headed the winner on 80 minutes - moving Everton up to fifth in the embryonic Premier League table - shortly after Raul Jimenez appeared to have rescued a point for Wolves.

The game’s previous three goals all came inside a bonkers opening quarter hour, Richarlison and Iwobi striking either side of Romain Saiss’s close-range conversion.

Minutes five to 12 of this game comprehensively firmly put to bed the notion Everton’s games would be low on goals this term.

In that seven-minute period alone, Evertonians travelled the length of the emotional spectrum, going from elation to angst and back again.

Jimenez’s sucker-punch equaliser with 15 minutes remaining represented a painful blow, then, primarily because it arrived from the blindside.

From despair, however, came ecstasy, when Richarlison perfectly timed his run to meet a cross from Lucas Digne and magically head Everton in front. For the final time.

Wolves went down to 10 men at the death, defender Willy Boly's two yellows for fouls on Richarlison adding up to a red.

First, the joy. Moise Kean showed just why he is already being tipped for a goal-laden career, the Italian instinctively moving into the box in case anything went awry as Conor Coady and Rui Patricio tried to clear their lines.

It should have been routine for the Wolves pair but they got their wires crossed and gave Kean a sniff.

Coady’s back pass hurried onto Patricio, who was forced by the looming Kean to rush his clearance.

Patricio succeeded only in driving the ball into Kean’s leg, which diverted it for the onrushing Richarlison.

He drilled the ball at the highest point of its bounce, sending it thumping off the turf and high into the goal.

The home team’s subsequent angst stemmed from some wonderful wideplay by Adama Traore.

Enigmatic Spaniard Traore – definitely more comfortable in his opponents’ half than when pinned on the back foot – dodged past left-back Digne’s frantic attempts to tackle and struck a low cross.

Seamus Coleman couldn’t complete the clearance, inadvertently inviting Saiss to thump his side level.

Wolves were made up.

But any suggestion the away team might be build up a head of steam was quickly dispelled by Everton’s compelling response.

Richarlison’s improvised over-the-head pass released Gylfi Sigurdsson down the right.

Sigurdsson still had a lot to do and his technique to plant a cross on Iwobi’s head was of the highest order.

Iwobi’s finish was far from straightforward, too, although he made it look that way, the forward arcing his back to generate the power required to defeat Patricio.

Jordan Pickford had been a spectator throughout this drama – he had no chance whatsoever when Saiss drove in from a few yards.