Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-2 Everton - 3 points to take note of
The Wolverhampton Wanderers aka Wolves are back in the Premier League after 6 long years, backed by Jorge Mendes' s work as an "adviser" and the influx of Portuguese talent at Molineux. They hosted Everton on the opening day and both of them played out a very entertaining 2-2 draw. Here are a few notable points from last Saturday's match.
#1 Richarlison marks debut with two goals
Everton shelled out a mighty £40 million for Richarlison's services based on his performances for Watford under Marco Silva. Richarlison will be under pressure to perform for Everton and so will be Marco Silva, to get him to deliver
Richarlison can only do one thing, that is to perform and that he did; scoring two goals against Wolves, one of them a finish of utmost quality. The other goal was a scruffy finish, but they all count. Silva will hope that Richarlison can repeat such performances on a weekly basis.
#2 Ruben Neves can light up the Premier League
For the last year or so, Ruben Neves has illuminated the Championship, guiding Wolves to a promotion, scoring a few crackers and impressing with his overall quality. Neves made his Premier League debut against Everton this weekend and he did not disappoint, scoring a sumptuous free-kick into the top corner of Jordan Pickford's goal.
Then in the second half, he provided the assist for Wolves' equalizing goal. His pass to pick out Jiménez was so perfectly weighted that it required the faintest of touches by Jiménez. His quality was the difference between a draw and a loss. Wolves fans will hope that he makes this kind of difference for them throughout the season.
#3 Wolves need to work on their defence
Wolves conceded two goals in the game, one from a set piece and another from a simple one-two around their penalty box. Defending like this, Wolves were able to navigate through Championship opponents, but Premier League rivals will be more ruthless and keeping opponents from scoring will become crucial for Wolves' survival in the season.
Wolves have a lot of options and flair going forward, but they have to do a lot of work on their defensive game on the training pitches.