Michael Keane’s late goal helped Everton return to winning ways at Wolves.

Alex Iwobi had given the visitors an early lead by rounding off a superb move involving James Rodriguez and Lucas Digne before drilling past Rui Patricio.

But Wolves drew level after a quarter of an hour as Rayan Ait-Nouri ghosted past Abdoulaye Doucoure to tee up Ruben Neves for a close-range volley.

Just 11 minutes from time, Keane sealed victory for the Blues when he met a curling cross from substitute Andre Gomes to score with a powerful header.

Tuesday’s victory sees Carlo Ancelotti’s side moving back up into fourth place in the Premier League table, only behind Leicester City on goal difference.

Here were the key talking points from Molineux:

Keane playing his way to greatness

 

Votes for Everton’s Player of the Season this year should be a mere formality.

When or how the current campaign finishes up, the case for Michael Keane to win the club’s prestigious award is already becoming impossible to ignore.

Not only did the England centre-back score a late winner but also produced a commanding defensive display which was practically flawless in every respect.

In the midst of the UK’s third coronavirus lockdown, Keane continues to flourish in a spell which began at the tail end of the first one back in June.

His exploits in front of goal are as impressive as his main stock in trade with the 77th-minute bullet header constituting his fourth goal this season to date.

Burned by an eight-figure price tag and joining Everton when they were still in constant flux, Keane had to wait a long time to finally answer his critics.

Continuing to play his way into greatness is the best possible response.

Blues are mentality monsters

 

Moving back up to fourth place with a hard-fought win tells only half the story of Everton’s continuing and remarkable resurgence under Carlo Ancelotti.

Tuesday night’s encounter at Molineux was the sixth time the Blues have emerged victorious from nine Premier League games on the road this season.

More than that, Ancelotti’s latest away outing reaffirmed the Goodison Park hierarchy’s decision to install him as Marco Silva’s successor 13 months ago.

The Italian already boasts a vastly superior away record than any of last five Everton managers with 10 wins from 19 giving him a 53% win ratio.

Put into context, his closest rival on this front is Roberto Martinez with 32%.

You really do get what you pay for when hiring a manager and the mentality the well-travelled coach has installed is proving to be money very well spent.

Digne is still the gold standard

 

Just as impressive as Everton’s away stats are those of Lucas Digne.

Making a second start in four days since returning from injury, the France international proved his muted comeback against Rotherham was a one-off.

Digne appeared off-key during the 66 minutes he completed in that FA Cup third round tie but illustrated his gold standard as Wolves were picked apart.

An early tee-up for Alex Iwobi’s opener saw him reaffirm his status as the Premier League’s most productive defender with a fifth assist in nine games.

None of his top-flight peers have been able to match Digne’s productivity with Andy Robertson, in second, producing the same number from 17 outings.

Even after six weeks out, no other left-back can compare to the 27-year-old.

False 9 can be the new Plan B

 

As a club where the no.9 shirt is iconic, Everton’s love affair with strikers is well-documented. But the false 9 has been in vogue over more recent years.

David Moyes routinely utilised Marouane Fellaini, a midfielder, as a battering ram while Martinez deployed winger Steven Naismith to similarly great effect.

Neither were permanent solutions, merely stopgaps which sprung a surprise.

Ancelotti followed suit in fielding a starting line-up devoid of a recognised marksman with Dominic Calvert-Lewin sidelined by a hamstring problem.

Everton’s attacking strategy has been geared around the mobility of Calvert-Lewin to cause opposing defenders problems with a well-stocked repertoire.

Without him, Ancelotti resisted the temptation to give Cenk Tosun more minutes after the 120 that he clocked up against Rotherham last weekend.

Adapting was the Everton manager’s pre-match buzzword, as it has been several times this season, and his players certainly met that challenge.

Unwittingly, he may have just stumbled upon an unlikely Plan B.