Everton brought the curtain down on 2023 with an insipid 3-0 loss against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The Toffees were lacklustre throughout the Molineux encounter, with Sean Dyche's decision to change to a wing-back formation backfiring emphatically as his side suffered a third successive Premier League defeat.
Everton started the game on the back foot and were fortunate not to fall behind in the seventh minute when Wolves talisman Hwang Hee-chan rounded goalkeeper Jordan Pickford but could not get a shot off.
Matheus Cunha then put a long-range effort not too far wide before the hosts took the lead in the 25th minute. Wolves recycled the ball from a corner and Blues defender Jarrad Branthwaite inadvertently steered a clearance towards his own goal. Pickford scrambled to keep the ball out of his net but Max Kiilman pounced on the loose ball to finish from close range.
That sparked somewhat of a response from Sean Dyche's side, with Dwight McNeil slipping in Dominic Calvert-Lewin but his finish lacked conviction and he failed to hit the target. Then in stoppage-time, Calvert-Lewin was played through on goal by Amadou Onana but was thwarted by Wolves keeper Jose Sa before the offside flag was raised.
Everton needed to improve markedly in the second period if they were to get anything from the game - yet it was the complete opposite as they continued to founder. Wolves doubled their lead in the 53rd minute when Hwang darted to the byline and put a ball across the face of goal for Cunha to finish.
And things went from bad to worse when the hosts wrapped up all three points. On 61 minutes, a cross was whipped in from the left and Craig Dawson was left unmarked and instinctively finished beyond Pickford.
Everton improved somewhat after Dyche opted to switch systems, with McNeil cannoning a speculative effort against the woodwork in the 68th minute. But they ran out of ideas and were unable to create any clear-cut chances to forge a late comeback. In fact, the visitors were lucky not to concede a fourth when Pedro Neto bagged following a misplaced pass from Pickford but the offside flag was raised.
As a consequence, the Toffees remain just a point above the Premier League regelation zone - and it was a sobering reminder that it will require another monumental after to avoid the drop following a 10-point deduction.
1. Jordan Pickford - 6
Did he best to keep out Braithwaite's skewed clearance in the first half. No chance with the other goals and made two fine stops from Hwang to keep the scoreline down in the second half.
2. James Tarkowski - 4
Came out of defence with the ball a few times but passing was off and hauled down Hwang in the first half. Got into a big mix-up with Keane in the second period that gifted Hwang a chance and would eventually see them net a third. Then booked for a rash challenge.
3. Michael Keane - 4
Didn't make any major errors in the first half but Everton just didn't look as comfortable with the formation switch. Couldn't go with the run of Hwang for Wolves' second goal. Then got into a mix-up with Tarkowski that led to a big Wolves chance - and eventually the third goal. Subbed in the 64th minute.
4. Jarrad Branthwaite - 5
Had to get something on Cunha's cross with Craig Dawson lurking behind, albeit putting Everton in trouble. Made a big clearance early in the first half. Looked unusually shaky at times in the second period. A rare off-day.