Wolves have the quality to end bad run, insists Ruben Neves

Wolverhampton Wanderers v Everton – Premier League – Molineux Stadium
(Image credit: Rui Vieira)

Ruben Neves backed Wolves’ strength in depth to see them out of a difficult period after their recent slump continued against Everton.

The Toffees claimed a late 2-1 victory at Molineux on Tuesday after Michael Keane’s header sealed their fifth win in six league games.

Neves had earlier cancelled out Alex Iwobi’s first Premier League goal since September 2019, which also came against Wolves.

The hosts have been missing key striker Raul Jimenez since he fractured his skull in November and have won just once in eight top-flight games without him.

Jonny, Marcal and Willy Boly are also out as the club – who have previously had a good injury record – struggle, but Neves believes they will recover.

“As a squad we have a lot of quality, a lot of young boys with a lot of quality, so we always have solutions to replace the injured players,” he told the club’s official site, after they slipped to 14th in the Premier League.

“Of course, we miss them as well, they are more experienced and they help us a lot, but for the young boys it’s all about gaining that experience for the future and improving.

“It’s hard, but that’s football. I think we did enough to win the game, and to at least draw, but this is football.

“You need to remain focused in every single second of the game, and again, a long cross and we concede a goal.”

Keane’s 77th-minute header sealed a sixth away win for the Toffees to move them back into the top four – although Tottenham and Manchester City can overhaul them on Wednesday night.

The only problem for Everton was Abdoulaye Doucoure’s fifth yellow card of the season, handing him a one-match ban.

“He is a key player, it was a fantastic signing in the summer,” said boss Carlo Ancelotti. “He is a fantastic guy and fantastic professional.

“I think he deserves to rest, so it’s not so bad.

“It is a great result. If you win here you have to have a good performance and we played a good game.

“We were solid defensively, we attacked well and were good on the flanks

“The game was in the balance and, in the end, we won thanks to Michael, who scored a fantastic goal.”