Everton lose again as boyhood Liverpool fan Conor Coady heads winner for Wolves

Boyhood Liverpool fan Conor Coady headed a second-half winner for Wolves at Goodison Park to push 10-man Everton closer to their first relegation in 71 years.

The England international expertly glanced home Ruben Neves’ cross early in the second half and Jonjoe Kenny’s dismissal following two yellow cards in the space of three minutes saw the visitors coast to a 1-0 victory to move up to seventh in the Premier League table.

Wolves’ captain has now scored more league goals this season (three) than he had in his previous six combined.

Everton, by contrast, have not scored in their last three league games and that, coupled with Watford’s win at Southampton, leaves them outside the bottom three on goal difference alone.

Frank Lampard’s side do have three matches in hand on most of their rivals but a run of just nine points from the last 60 available and only two league wins since September has left a squad drained of confidence in danger of dropping out of the top flight for only the third time in their history and first since 1951.

Lampard had dropped defender Michael Keane and midfielder Allan after Monday’s humiliating 5-0 defeat at Tottenham but striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s illness was an absence he really could not afford.

It resulted in another change of system but Everton, with defender Ben Godfrey making his first appearance since a hamstring injury in Lampard’s debut game in early February, struggled with their new 5-2-2-1 formation.

Only Anthony Gordon, dropping into the pockets between Wolves’ defence and midfield seemed to thrive and was the hosts’ best – and probably only – real attacking threat in the first half.

Richarlison had an early shot saved by Jose Sa from Vitalii Mykoleno’s ball over the top, with