Charly Alcaraz came off the bench to score a fine late winner as Everton beat Wolves 1-0 at the Hill Dickinson to reach the fourth round of the Carabao Cup.
The Argentine settled a tight third-round tie with 11 minutes remaining, taking Tyler Dibling’s pass before a superb first touch took him away from his marker and he curled his finish beyond former Everton goalkeeper Joao Virginia.
Everton had most of the ball and created the better chances, although Virginia repeatedly frustrated his former club. Jake O’Brien, Hayden Hackney and Jack Grealish were all denied during the first half, while Thierno Barry headed over from close range shortly before the interval.
Wolves offered more of a threat after the break and Jordan Pickford made an important save from Adam Armstrong after the substitute broke clear.
David Moyes replaced Barry with Brennan Johnson shortly before the hour and the summer signing soon had a good chance of his own, only to be denied by Virginia.
With the tie still goalless, Moyes made another double change as Alcaraz and Tyrique George replaced Hackney and Grealish.
The breakthrough followed almost immediately. Dibling fought his way infield from the right and found Alcaraz, whose first touch created the space before he bent a composed finish into the far corner.
Wolves pushed for an equaliser and Pickford beat away a late Tommy Doyle effort, but Everton saw out the closing stages to secure their place in the last 16.
After Wolves knocked the Blues out at the same stage last season, this time it was Everton who found a way through.
Everton: Pickford; Maitland-Niles, O’Brien, Keane, Mykolenko; Garner, Hackney (Alcaraz 77); Dibling, Dewsbury-Hall, Grealish (George 77); Barry (Johnson 58).
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