Everton’s fight to avoid the drop into the Championship will go down to the final day of the season despite Yerry Mina snatching a dramatic equaliser deep into stoppage time at Wolves.
The Toffees looked on course for a damaging defeat until Mina pounced in a goalmouth scramble in the final seconds of nine minutes of additional time to give Sean Dyche’s side what might prove to be a priceless point.
Everton must now anxiously await how other results pan out to discover the full extent of their task when they face Bournemouth at Goodison Park.
Wolves went ahead in a scrappy encounter after 34 minutes when Hwang Hee-Chan scored from a rebound after Everton keeper Jordan Pickford had pushed out Adama Traore’s shot.
Everton’s best opportunities came with two first-half headers from Dominic Calvert-Lewin but they suffered a severe blow when the injury-plagued striker was forced to limp off with a hamstring injury on the stroke of half-time.
It now rests on that crucial clash with Bournemouth as Everton attempt to avoid their first relegation from the top tier since 1951 but this may yet be the point that helps to maintain their Premier League status.
Everton give themselves hope
Everton’s attempts to avoid a damaging defeat became increasingly desperate in nine chaotic minutes in the Molineux sunshine – and they brought a reward.
Michael Keane, on as a substitute for the injured Nathan Patterson, was playing as an emergency striker in the absence of Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who had gone off with yet another injury.
And it was Keane who got on the end of James Tarkowski’s knockdown from Demarai Gray’s cross, setting up Mina to score through a pile of bodies in the six-yard box.
Even a draw was not ideal for Everton but ultimately this was a point they will take gratefully as it looked for so long as if they would leave Wolverhampton empty-handed.
It all now rests on other results before Everton know what they have to do at home to Bournemouth next week, with Leeds able to overhaul them and send them into the bottom three if they win at West Ham.
Everton suffered a huge blow when Calvert-Lewin sat on the turf, head in hands in despair, after pulling up with another injury as he chased an innocuous throughball.
If he is missing against Bournemouth, as seems likely from his reaction and the fact he could not carry on a few moments until the interval, it will be a serious setback.
Everton now face their third last-day fight for survival in the Premier League era on what will be a highly-charged occasion at Goodison Park.
Lopetegui builds platform
Julen Lopetegui can reflect with satisfaction on his early months at Wolves after he succeeded the sacked Bruno Lage.
The Spaniard took the acclaim of the Wolves fans at the conclusion of their final home game of the season, even though it was tinged with disappointment after Mina’s late leveller deprived them of a win.
Lopetegui’s task when he took over was to keep Wolves in the Premier League by moving them away from a perilous position, and he has done so successfully.
He inherited a squad that required serious strengthening. Now, having achieved his first aim, he will look to put even more of his own stamp on the side by the start of next season.
It remains to be seen whether he keeps key players such as captain Ruben Neves, who received a hero’s reception as he picked up end of season awards in the centre circle after the final whistle.
Wolves can end the season knowing they are safe – now Lopetegui must move them forward.
Player of the match
Hwang Hee-chanHwang Hee-chan
Wolverhampton Wanderers
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Squad number11Player nameHwang Hee-chanAverage rating
7.18
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Squad number15Player nameDawsonAverage rating
7.07
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Squad number37Player nameTraoré
Average rating6.98
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Squad number5Player nameLemina
Average rating6.97
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Squad number27Player nameMatheus Nunes
Average rating6.95
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Squad number8Player nameRúben Neves
Average rating6.94
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Squad number35Player nameJoão Gomes
Average rating6.73
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Squad number6Player nameTraoré
Average rating6.61
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Squad number4Player nameCollins
Average rating6.59
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Squad number29Player nameDiego Costa
Average rating6.56
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Squad number10Player nameDaniel Podence
Average rating6.54
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Squad number25Player nameBentley
Average rating6.53
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Squad number24Player nameToti
Average rating6.45
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Squad number12Player nameMatheus Cunha
Average rating6.44
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Squad number21Player nameSarabia
Average rating6.38
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Squad number22Player nameNélson Semedo
Average rating4.59
Everton
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Squad number3Player namePatterson
Average rating5.17
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Squad number13Player nameMina
Average rating4.96
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Squad number2Player nameTarkowski
Average rating4.62
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Squad number7Player nameMcNeil
Average rating4.54
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Squad number17Player nameIwobi
Average rating4.42
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Squad number37Player nameGarner
Average rating4.41
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Squad number1Player namePickford
Average rating4.40
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Squad number9Player nameCalvert-Lewin
Average rating4.28
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Squad number11Player nameGray
Average rating4.27
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Squad number16Player nameDoucouré
Average rating4.26
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Squad number27Player nameGueye
Average rating4.17
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Squad number8Player nameOnana
Average rating4.12
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Squad number5Player nameKeane
Average rating4.08
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Squad number4Player nameHolgate
Average rating3.70
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Squad number20Player nameMaupay
Average rating3.37
Line-ups
Wolves
Formation 4-4-2
- 25Bentley
- 22Nélson SemedoBooked at 51mins
- 4Collins
- 15DawsonBooked at 45mins
- 24Gomes
- 37TraoréBooked at 17minsSubstituted forMatheus Cunhaat 88′minutes
- 8NevesBooked at 66minsSubstituted forTraoréat 88′minutes
- 35João Gomes
- 10PodenceSubstituted forDiego Costaat 70′minutes
- 21SarabiaSubstituted forNunesat 70′minutesBooked at 90mins
- 11Hwang Hee-chanSubstituted forLeminaat 74′minutes
Substitutes
- 1Sá
- 5Lemina
- 6Traoré
- 9Jiménez
- 12Matheus Cunha
- 23Kilman
- 27Nunes
- 29Diego Costa
- 64Bueno
Everton
Formation 4-2-3-1
- 1Pickford
- 3PattersonSubstituted forKeaneat 29′minutes
- 13Mina
- 2Tarkowski
- 7McNeil
- 37GarnerBooked at 90mins
- 27GueyeSubstituted forHolgateat 82′minutes
- 17Iwobi
- 16Doucouré
- 8OnanaSubstituted forMaupayat 82′minutes
- 9Calvert-LewinSubstituted forGrayat 45+2′minutes
Substitutes
- 4Holgate
- 5Keane
- 11Gray
- 15Begovic
- 20Maupay
- 31Lonergan
- 46McAllister
- 50Simms
- 64Welch
- Referee:
- David Coote
- Attendance:
- 31,684
Match Stats
Live Text
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Match ends, Wolverhampton Wanderers 1, Everton 1.
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Second Half ends, Wolverhampton Wanderers 1, Everton 1.
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Goal! Wolverhampton Wanderers 1, Everton 1. Yerry Mina (Everton) right footed shot from very close range to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Michael Keane.
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Corner, Everton. Conceded by Craig Dawson.
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Corner, Everton. Conceded by Nathan Collins.
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Attempt blocked. Demarai Gray (Everton) right footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Mason Holgate.
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Diego Costa (Wolverhampton Wanderers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
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Foul by James Tarkowski (Everton).
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Attempt blocked. James Tarkowski (Everton) header from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Demarai Gray with a cross.
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Matheus Nunes (Wolverhampton Wanderers) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
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Foul by Matheus Nunes (Wolverhampton Wanderers).
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Yerry Mina (Everton) wins a free kick on the right wing.
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Corner, Wolverhampton Wanderers. Conceded by Jordan Pickford.
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Attempt saved. Matheus Nunes (Wolverhampton Wanderers) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Matheus Cunha.
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Foul by Matheus Cunha (Wolverhampton Wanderers).
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Yerry Mina (Everton) wins a free kick on the right wing.
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James Garner (Everton) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
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Matheus Nunes (Wolverhampton Wanderers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
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Foul by James Garner (Everton).
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Substitution, Wolverhampton Wanderers. Matheus Cunha replaces Adama Traoré.
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