Grealish's Orchestration Undoes Wolves' Desperate Rally

Sehenswert Futmetrix-Wertung: 66/100. Five goals, three lead changes, and a substitute's redemption arc—this was chaos masquerading as Premier League football.

When Substitutes Change Destinies

Everton arrived at Molineux with a blueprint: press, control, suffocate. Jack Grealish was the architect. His opening act came in the 7th minute—a perfectly weighted pass for Beto's opener that set Intensity levels to suffocating. The Stakes were already crushing for Wolves, languishing in 20th place with three straight defeats. This felt like an execution.

Then Hwang Hee-Chan equalized in the 21st minute. Suddenly, Balance tilted. The lead changed hands three times across 90 minutes—each shift a knife-twist of momentum. Wolves controlled 59% possession yet found themselves chasing a 3-1 deficit by the 55th minute after Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall's clinical finish. Grealish had two assists by then. His third key pass was the game's pulse.

But Intensity demands unpredictability. In the 63rd minute, Rodrigo Gomes entered as substitute. Twelve minutes later, he scored. The 79th-minute goal—assisted by fellow substitute D.M. Wolfe—suddenly made this a one-goal game. Wolves threw bodies forward. Everton held. Just.

The numbers tell the story: Grealish created three key passes, Dewsbury-Hall combined a goal with an assist (8.3 rating), and Gomes' impact from the bench (7.7 rating) proved that Stakes this high demand urgency from everyone. Wolves' 12 shots (4 on target) versus Everton's 10 (4 on target) showed the desperation—more volume, less precision. Everton's xG of 1.93 versus Wolves' 1.11 exposed the quality gap, yet the final scoreline whispered of what-ifs.

For Wolves, this was a moral victory dressed as a defeat. They're still pointless after four games, but this display—trailing 3-1 and clawing back—suggests fight isn't dead. For Everton, Grealish's control under Stakes this high proved why they sit fifth. Chaos resolved into clarity.