EPL: Coady heads Wolves to win at ailing Everton

Conor Coady scored the only goal as Everton’s Premier League relegation fears deepened following a 1-0 home defeat at Goodison Park on Sunday. Liverpool fan Coady steered a header into the net from Ruben Neves’ excellent cross on 49 minutes to give the visitors the lead, and Everton finished the game with 10 men when Jonjoe Kenny received two yellow cards. Everton are in 17th place on 22 points from 26 games, only out of the relegation zone on goal difference, though they do have games in hand on the teams around them.

Wolves moved up to seventh with 46 points from 29 matches. Everton are next in action on Thursday when they host Newcastle United, desperate to find a way to win as the spectre of a first relegation since 1951 looms larger after only two wins in their last 20 Premier League games. There will be a sinking feeling around Goodison after another poor performance and manager Frank Lampard will know games in hand are not worth much if you can’t win matches.

They started brightly, roared on by a desperate home crowd, and might have gone in front as Richarlison got in behind the Wolves defence, but his shot from a tight angle was saved by Wolves goalkeeper Jose Sa. Demarai Gray had a close-range effort saved too, while the visitors grew into the game as the half wore on, but a speculative over-head kick from Raul Jimenez that flew well over the bar was as close as they came. They started the second half much quicker than the home side, and after Coady’s goal, Jimenez flashed a shot just wide with Jordan Pickford in the Everton goal beaten.