By SCM Sport Reporter I Sept 16, 2026
CHARLY ALCARAZ emerged as the ultimate game-changer on a electric night, coming off the bench to shatter Wolves’ stubborn resistance and propel Everton into the EFL Cup fourth round with a dramatic 1-0 victory.
The Argentine magician was only on the pitch for three minutes before producing a moment of pure magic, striking 10 minutes from time to break a tense, high-stakes deadlock. David Moyes’ side dominated for vast spells, but they were forced to fight every inch of the way by a gritty Wolves unit determined to frustrate the Toffees on home soil.
Everton turned on the style from the opening whistle, carving through the visitors with slick passing and raw intensity.
Jack Grealish was a constant thorn in the side of the Wolves defense, terrorizing his markers down the flank alongside dynamic young talent Tyler Dibling. Dibling was sensational throughout, linking up beautifully with James Garner to force Wolves into a deep, defensive block.
The Toffees peppered the opposition box in the first half. Defender Jake O’Brien saw a powering header saved, while Hayden Hackney and Grealish both tested visitor goalkeeper João Virgínia with stinging efforts. Thierno Barry also went agonisingly close, sending a header inches over the crossbar just before the interval.
Despite the heavy Everton pressure, Wolves refused to buckle, anchored by a heroic performance from Virgínia in goal. The visitors offered moments of real threat on the counter in the second period, forcing England international Jordan Pickford into a decisive, match-winning save when Adam Armstrong broke through on goal.
With time ticking away and penalty anxiety looming, Moyes made his decisive tactical roll of the dice in the 77th minute, introducing Alcaraz into the fray. The move paid immediate dividends. Dibling cut inside from the right wing with real intent and slid a crisp pass into the path of Alcaraz.
The Argentine star controlled it expertly before unleashing a brilliant, curling left-footed strike beyond the despairing dive of Virgínia to send the home faithful into absolute raptures.
Wolves launched a desperate late assault, but Pickford pulled off another top-drawer save to turn away Tommy Doyle’s fierce stoppage-time drive, ensuring Everton safely crossed the finish line.
The match statistics underline Everton’s overwhelming control throughout the 90 minutes. Moyes’ men enjoyed a commanding 63 percent share of total ball possession and dictated the tempo by completing 570 out of their 627 attempted passes.
The Toffees registered 16 total shots, testing the keeper six times on target, and created five big chances inside the penalty area. Everton’s relentless territorial pressure was highlighted by 54 entries into the final third and 41 touches inside the opposition penalty box.
By contrast, Wolves struggled to get out of their own half, managing just six overall shot attempts with two landing on target, failing to create a single big scoring opportunity and recording a meager eight touches in Everton’s penalty box. Wolves were forced to dig deep defensively,
making 23 clearances and 12 interceptions to keep the game alive. Everton also won the physical battle, claiming 75 percent of aerial duels.
Both teams committed 13 fouls in a fiercely contested battle, but it was Alcaraz’s moment of brilliance that ultimately made the difference to send Everton flying into the last 16.