Everton climb out of bottom three with win

Everton 2 Wolves 0

Everton claimed their first win in six league games against Wolves to climb out of the relegation zone.

Last season Everton were in the hunt for the Champions League, but boss David Moyes’ side had slipped to their worst spell under the Scot’s management.

Thankfully, Everton ran into a shocking Wolves side who could have conceded six in a woeful first half that produced two goals in three minutes for Tomasz Radzinski and Kevin Kilbane.

The Midlanders got a grip after the interval, but the damage had been done long before.

Everton used two wingers, James McFadden and Kilbane, and stretched Wolves’ slow ageing side in all directions to win comfortably.

Moyes, after a fortnight of soul searching and an embarrassing row with Duncan Ferguson, can at last sleep a little better.

Wolves, meanwhile, know they have to do a lot better to avoid a speedy return to the Nationwide League.

The Everton boss did not consider selection Ferguson after a week in which the Scot was banned from training following a row with the manager, but was able to bring back Rooney and Alan Stubbs after flu.

Moyes was also was without Gary Naysmith, injured playing for Scotland in Holland, allowing Dave Unsworth back for his first start in a month.

Everton’s last match, a defeat at Blackburn, had put them into the bottom three along with Wolves, who were without Colin Cameron with a stomach injury.

Everton’s current form suggested they would have trouble with a Wolves side who have started to find their feet in the top flight after a torrid opening.

But Everton were two up in 19 minutes and could have been out of sight by the break, with the Wolves defence unable to handle strikers with pace and mobility.

Rooney, making his 50th appearance for the club, was involved in all that was good about Everton.

He had a 20 yard free kick and an 18 yarder that went close before Everton took the lead.

Wolves almost scored when Henri Camara rose to send a flicked header just wide of the far post from a cross by Denis Irwin.

But, on 16 minutes, Everton, who had scored only once in their previous five league games, grabbed the lead. Radzinski picked the ball up in midfield and made ground before lashing a 25 yarder past the diving Michael Oakes’ left hand.

Three minutes later it was two. Rooney’s deep cross from the right arched into the box where Kilbane outjumped Irwin on the far post to send a looping headed dropping into the far corner for his first goal for the club.

Wolves were under siege and Linderoth forced Oakes into a save after a flowing five-man move with a shot from the edge of the box, while Kilbane almost scored with another header on 25 minutes, meeting a McFadden cross to send his effort bouncing wide of the far post.

It should have been three on 33 minutes when Tobias Linderoth’s through ball sent Radzinski’s scampering away but his shot lacked power and Oakes fielded easily.

Wolves were in disarray by now and Oakes was tested when he plunged to his left to turn away a hooked McFadden effort that bounced wickedly in front of him.

A minute later Rooney launched himself at a Thomas Gravesen low cross in front of an open goal and missed connecting by inches.

Wolves boss Dave Jones sent on Nathan Blake and Kenny Miller for Steffen Iversen and Newton for the second half with Camara moving to the right flank but they were still not getting to grips with Gravesen in midfield.

Gravesen should have scored on 50 minutes when he met a Radzinski cross but stubbed it wide from inside the six yard box and McFadden and Kilbane squandered chances.

On 64 minutes Wolves sent on Joey Gudjonsson in place of Alex Rae, who had been playing his 500th league match.

The Midlanders had looked much tighter after the break, and almost pulled one back on 67 minutes when Blake dived forward to head Miller’s cross straight at Nigel Martyn.

Blake was booked for catching Joseph Yobo in the face with his arm, before McFadden was also cautioned for pushing Gudjonsson to the ground after complaining of a late tackle.

Francis Jeffers replaced Rooney with 10 minutes remaining and Leon Osman took over from McFadden.

Unsworth, with a low header from Gravesen’s corner, forced Oakes into an instinctive save, and Jody Craddock was booked on 86 minutes for pulling back Radzinski.