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Everton can't win without Doucoure
The last time Everton tasted victory in a league game in which Abdoulaye Doucoure did not start was a 3-0 win over Crystal Palace in October of 2022.
This was, coincidentally, Frank Lampard's final win as Everton manager before he was sacked a few months later.
Wins have come few and far between for the toffees this year, with their win over Wolves only being their 8th since the start of 2024.
During all of these games, Doucoure has been an ever-present in the side.
Whilst the 31-year-old is often criticised for his lack of technical ability, he more than makes up for this with his work rate.
Dwight McNeil has been preferred to the Mali international in the 10 position in recent weeks, but has failed to impress and was subsequently moved back onto the wing against Wolves.
And on his return to the position, his side looked like a completely redefined outfit.
Although their attacking play was still far from free-flowing, they looked much more of a threat than in recent weeks and also limited the visitors to minimal opportunities.
It is clear that if Everton want to win games going forward, Doucoure has to start.
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Young is Everton's best fullback
There were plenty of questions asked to whether the 39-year-old would still be part of the Everton squad this season, having only signed a 1-year deal in 2023.
However, the club eventually made the decision to keep the veteran defender for another year.
And, thus far, the decision seems to have paid off.
The England international had a rough start to the campaign, being sent off in the season opener against Brighton and receiving a 3-match ban.
But since then, he has arguably been the blues' most consistent performer.
This trend continued with Wolves' visit to Goodison Park, as his side won a free-kick on the edge of the box 10 minutes into the game, which he stepped up to and placed the ball in the bottom corner.
It was not only his goal which was impressive from his performance, however.
He was also tasked with marking Matheus Cunha throughout the game, who has been the visitors' most impressive player this season, scoring a very impressive 7 times for Gary O'Neil's side.
His fullback partner, on the other hand, continued his trend of struggling this season.
Vitalii Mykolenko was extremely impressive in the previous campaign but seems to be struggling with the intensity of games thus far.
With the takeover round the corner, the toffees are expected to invest in a new left-back during the January Transfer Window.
Ashley Young has provided Sean Dyche with some stability in the right back position compared to others this season.
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Broja can challenge DCL for his starting role
Despite only having a 10-minute cameo at the end of the game, Armando Broja put in a stellar performance during that time.
There were plenty of questions asked surrounding the Albanian's move to Goodison Park in the final minutes of the summer window.
He struggled during his loan move to Fulham and has spent the majority of the year so far out injured.
However, the early signs are that the striker has more than enough ability to be a success for the blues.
During the 10 minutes in which he was on the pitch, he created three very decent chances for his teammates, a couple of which being put in the Upper Gwladyst Street by Jack Harrison.
Although Dominic Calvert-Lewin also put in a good performance upon his return to the starting line-up, his future at the club still seems up in the air.
Having not signed a new contract and his current deal expiring in June, and Beto being linked with a move away from the club in January, Broja could play a very important role.
His small cameo was impressive and as he continues to gain fitness and is embedded into the squad, he can only get better.
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Set-pieces are the way forward
The blues have really struggled to score goals since Sean Dyche's introduction as manager, and those struggles seem to have magnified this season.
Going into their fixture with Wolves, they were the joint-lowest scorers in the Premier League after 13 games, only scoring 10 goals.
Prior to the game, they had also gone 4 straight games without scoring a goal.
Yesterday, however, the switch seemed to flip for the blues.
This was solely down to their complete dominance from set-pieces.
Dyche's side had the opposition defence all over the place every time they won a free kick close to the box and even on corners.
On another day, and without any VAR controversy, Everton could have come away with at least six goals from the match, and that is solely down to their set-piece perfection.
Although he did not have the best game of his career by any stretch, McNeil was essential to this, with his crosses being superb on many an occasion.
If the blues can continue to prioritise offensive set-pieces, there is no doubt that they will be moving to Bramley Moore Stadium still in the Premier League.
