Wolverhampton Wanderers – Everton: Wolves Dominate Against A Problematic Everton (3-0)

In a battle between two formations with three center-backs, something unheard of in the Premier League ten years ago, Wolves proved to be everything that Everton was not. By being compact in defense and through rotating positions in a very versatile offensive showing, Wolves dominated the match and never really felt in danger.
Tactical analysis and match report by Thanos Chelas.

Two consecutive losses against Arsenal and Sheffield United, two fellow contenders for European football, had almost killed off Wolves’ Champions League dream. It meant that in case of a loss against Everton an eighth place would have been their new reality. 

Nuno Espírito Santo once again chose a 3-4-3 formation for his team, keeping his five man defensive line intact and making only three changes to the starting eleven in comparison to the match against Sheffield United. The Portuguese duo of Pedro Neto and Daniel Podence was responsible for supporting Raúl Jiménez up top, stepping in for Adama Traoré and Diego Jota respectively. In midfield Leander Dendoncker replaced João Moutinho.

Everton had a mixed restart of the season up until Wolves, with two wins, two draws and a loss, playing against two top-four sides and Tottenham. 

Carlo Ancelotti opted for a 5-3-2 formation that turned into a 3-4-1-2 during buildup, as a compromise between taking advantage of his players’ characteristics and keeping a balanced side defensively. The Italian decided to stick with eight players of the team that faced Southampton; André Gomes, Alex Iwobi and Séamus Coleman were replaced by Gylfi Sigurðsson, Theo Walcott and Leighton Baines.

First Half - Wolves in control 
Wolves . . .