Wolves 1-1 Everton: Fight goes on for Sean Dyche’s side with Yerry Mina’s goal at the last

“Fight for us,” read the banner in the Everton ending unfolded at the beginning.

And for a long time it seemed that no matter how hard they tried, fighting alone was not enough. That they’re just not good enough. That they would be undone by first-half injuries that completely disrupted their game plan.

They ended up with Michael Keane at center forward. And Jordan Pickford for corner kicks. We were in the 98th minute and at least they were still fighting when Demarai Gray swung in his cross. It was decent, but a bit hit and miss. Find the big man at the back post and see what havoc he can wreak.

James Tarkowski was that man and it turned out he was going to wreak havoc by luring keeper Daniel Bentley off his post and punching him in the air to hit the ball to Keane. Who knew Keane had quick, delicate feet to get the ball into the penalty area? Inside the box was Pep Guadiola’s favorite opponent, Yerry Mina.

Mina is a huge man and once committed to a cause, there is little that will stop him. All he needed was a touch and he got it. The net overflowed and Molineux was silenced except for the sitting area with the Everton fans. Seconds before wondering how ugly this could get, what reception their team would get. Now it was delirium, bodies pooling, arms flailing in revelry, players rushed to join them.

There is still work to be done. They could still be in the bottom three if Leeds win against West Ham. Still, they gave themselves a chance here. They gave themselves some hope. There can be an air of desperation at Everton. Gone are the days of free spending. A major sponsor in Sanctioned. A magnificent new stadium is slowly coming to life on Liverpool’s docks, but which team will play? A championship? Yet they survive for now and this point could be the one that saves them.

That said, it was thin porridge a big part of the game. The essence of a bad side isn’t so much the careless mistake Abdoulaye Doucoure made in giving the ball away on the edge of the Wolves box, poor as that was. No, it was the absence of a midfield to prevent Adama Traore from entering the field. No one thought to patrol that space, which is a team with no brains.

Add to that ineptitude a defender’s inability to stop during his run from box to box: no block, no obstruction, nor a tackle laid on him. Traore is a formidably strong but still: the absence of Everton’s resistance, which invited him to get a shot away, was lamentable. Pickford at least saved the shot, but pushed it out of Hwang Hee-Chan, who had a simple job of scoring.

It is true that they were unlucky. Nathan Patterson was out on 28 minutes and with no full defender on the bench Michael Keane took over, he never looked comfortable and Dyche returned to a back three at half time. Dominic Calvert Lewin also stumbled away just before the break and Demarai Gray, his replacement, was as different as you can imagine.

Everton’s threat came mainly from set pieces and crosses. Now they had to change course. Gray would go to the right, throwing in a great cross, but just out of Iwobi’s reach and there was no striker to lead him home. He would get a shot from the edge of the box that Daniel Bentley had to push away – and Gray can finish from there – but there was little threat in the box. Eventually he would return to the left wing role from where the goal came.

They lived a charmed life as they adjusted to the new system in the second half. First Pablo Sarabia Garcia, then Nelson Semodo and finally Daniel Podence missed a succession of chances between 60 and 63 minutes. Pickford would block under Diego Costa on 73 minutes and then Nunes. They survived and they persevered. They deserve credit for that. Next weekend will show whether they deserve another top racing season.