Charly Alcaraz Shines in Everton's Carabao Cup Victory
Charly Alcaraz stepped off the bench and, within three minutes, stepped into the spotlight.
His 80th-minute winner lit up Goodison Park and sent Everton into the fourth round of the Carabao Cup with a hard-earned 1-0 victory over a heavily rotated Wolves side, keeping David Moyes’ team unbeaten for the season and very much alive in the hunt for a first trophy since 1995.
Super-sub settles it
The game had been drifting towards the kind of stalemate that drains the noise from a ground. Then Alcaraz arrived.
Introduced late on, the midfielder found space inside the area, shaped his body and whipped a powerful curling effort beyond Joao Virginia. The Wolves goalkeeper, excellent all night against his former club, finally had no answer.
It was only Alcaraz’s second goal for Everton, his first coming in the same competition 13 months ago. The timing could hardly have been better.
High in the stands, UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Canadian counterpart Mark Carney, both declared Everton supporters, celebrated along with the rest of Goodison. The release matched the performance; Everton had earned this.
Everton on top, Wolves disrupted
Wolves arrived with momentum after their league win at Sheffield United but manager Gary O’Neil ripped up his weekend XI, making nine changes. The disruption showed. The Championship side struggled to build any rhythm and spent long spells pinned back.
Raul Jimenez, the match-winner at Bramall Lane, was handed a start but his night ended worryingly early. He limped off midway through the first half, cutting short his chance to trouble Jordan Pickford and depriving Wolves of their focal point.
Even with Everton on top, they needed patience. Their best first-half opening fell in stoppage time, when Thierno Barry met a cross with a firm close-range header. Virginia reacted superbly, flinging himself across goal to claw the ball away and silence the home roar.
Keepers in command
After the break, Wolves finally registered a shot on target. Adam Armstrong, on for the injured Jimenez, forced Pickford into a smart save, the England goalkeeper springing low to his right to keep the game level.
That was as threatening as the visitors got.
Everton tightened their grip again, Moyes turning to his bench for extra thrust. Brennan Johnson almost delivered it, darting through and testing Virginia, who once more stood tall against his old club.
The pressure built. The clock ticked. Goodison grew restless.
Then Alcaraz struck.
One chance, one ruthless finish, and a reminder that this Everton side, under Moyes, has started to find decisive moments in tight games.
The final whistle brought relief as much as celebration, but the narrative is shifting. An unbeaten start intact, a cup run alive, and a fanbase daring to look at the Carabao Cup bracket and wonder: is this finally the season the wait for silverware ends?
