Charly Alcaraz Scores Late Winner as Everton Defeats Wolves
Charly Alcaraz stepped off the bench and into the spotlight, smashing home an 80th-minute winner to edge Everton past a heavily-rotated Wolves side and into the fourth round of the Carabao Cup with a 1-0 victory at Goodison Park.
He had been on the pitch for barely three minutes.
The substitute collected the ball inside the area and whipped a powerful curling effort beyond Joao Virginia, finally breaking the resistance of a goalkeeper who had spent most of the night frustrating his former club. It was only Alcaraz’s second goal for Everton, his first since scoring in this competition 13 months ago, but it arrived with the conviction of a player who had been waiting far too long for another moment like this.
Goodison roared. So did the directors’ box, where UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham and his Canadian counterpart and fellow Everton supporter Mark Carney celebrated the strike that kept David Moyes’ side unbeaten this season and still chasing a first trophy since 1995.
Everton grind it out against rotated Wolves
Everton had to work for it. They were on the front foot for long spells against a Wolves team showing nine changes from the weekend league win at Sheffield United, yet the Championship visitors refused to fold.
Raul Jimenez, the match-winner at Bramall Lane, was handed a start but his night ended early. Midway through the first half he went down injured and had to be replaced, a worrying sight for Wolves with bigger battles ahead in the league.
The reshuffled visitors offered little attacking threat before the break, but when Everton did carve out a clear opening, Virginia stood in the way. In first-half stoppage time, Thierno Barry met a cross with a firm close-range header, only for the Wolves debutant to fling himself across goal and produce a superb reflex save that drew gasps around Goodison.
The pattern barely changed after the interval. Everton pressed, Wolves hung on, and Virginia kept them in it.
Virginia shines, but Alcaraz has the final word
Early in the second half, it was Jordan Pickford’s turn to intervene. Adam Armstrong, on in place of Jimenez, finally registered Wolves’ first shot on target, only for the England goalkeeper to beat it away and preserve parity.
The game then opened up. Everton introduced Brennan Johnson to inject more pace and direct running, and he almost made the difference, only for Virginia to again stand tall and repel his effort as the tension inside the stadium began to rise.
The pressure finally told.
With time running out and penalties looming on the horizon, Alcaraz arrived. One chance, one ruthless finish, and Virginia was finally beaten. Wolves, who had battled hard with a much-changed XI, had nothing left to give.
Everton, still unbeaten and still in the hunt for silverware, walked off to the sound of a fanbase daring to believe that nights like this might yet build into something bigger.
