Everton vs Wolverhampton Wanderers LIVE: Premier League result, final score and reaction
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Rayan Ait Nouri grabbed the winner five minutes into stoppage-time as Wolverhampton Wanderers moved off the foot of the table with a 2-1 victory over Everton in manager Julen Lopetegui’s first Premier League game in charge on Monday.
Ait Nouri scored from close range at the back post after a quick break from the visitors to spark wild celebrations from the players and the bench, and leave Frank Lampard’s strugglers walking off the Goodison Park pitch to boos.
Wolves climbed two places to 18th with 13 points from 16 games, one place and one point behind Everton, who are now in freefall following a six-week break in the Premier League season for the World Cup.
Everton hit the front inside seven minutes with their first goal from a corner all season. Dwight McNeil swung in the set-piece and an unmarked Yerry Mina headed in his first Premier League goal for two years.
But Wolves struck back midway through the first half with a well-worked corner of their own that allowed Joao Moutinho to clip the ball to the back post and Daniel Podence provided a neat volley finish.
Ait Nouri’s late winner came against the run of play as the home side pushed for victory, but Wolves host Manchester United and Everton travel to Manchester City in their next games on Saturday.
Everton vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
The win moves Wolves off the bottom of the table and into 18th place, one point behind Everton in 17th. They will host Manchester United on New Years' Eve in their next match while Everton travel to Manchester City on the same day.
Everton vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
Everton took an early lead in the half after Mina headed home from McNeil's corner. Everton seemed fairly comfortable in the game but were caught out by a Wolves set-piece routine in the 22nd minute. Neves and Podence took a short corner before the latter made a darting run into the six-yard box. Moutinho saw the run from the edge of the box and played the perfect pass for the winger to equalise. Gordon and Costa both had good chances to give their respective sides the lead, but Pickford and Sa pulled off good saves to keep the score at 1-1 going into the break. Everton came close to taking the lead through Iwobi and Cannon in the second half, but they could not find the back of the net. The game seemed to be heading for a draw but Traore found Ait-Nouri in the box in the 95th minute and the defender secured a 2-1 win for Wolves.
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