LIVERPOOL, England (Reuters) – Everton kept alive their hopes of playing in the Europa League next season after a 48th-minute header from Brazilian forward Richarlison gave them a 1-0 Premier League win at home against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Wednesday.
The result lifted Everton to eighth place on 59 points before the last round of games, with the Toffees visiting champions Manchester City on Sunday. Wolves stayed 12th on 45 points.
Everton snapped a five-game winless home streak as Richarlison rose superbly in the heart of the penalty box to meet an outswinging Gylfi Sigurdsson corner and leave visiting goalkeeper John Ruddy clutching thin air.
Wolves were the better side in the first half, with Morgan Gibbs-White testing Jordan Pickford with a rasping volley before the Everton keeper kept out an Adama Traore shot with a fingertip save.
But Everton improved in the second half after Richarlison struck and Ruddy did well to deny Dominic Calvert-Lewin in the 71st minute before Sigurdsson twice went close with long-range efforts.
The home side withstood some late pressure from Wolves and threatened to add a second on the beak as Calvert-Lewin failed to connect with Richarlison’s cross from the left.
(Writing by Zoran Milosavljevic; Editing by Toby Davis)
