Liam Keen analysis: An unexpected change but effective display saw improvement in Wolves' Carabao Cup win

The Premier League is Wolves' priority and after five consecutive defeats, Vitor Pereira must find a way to impact top flight games.

But a better display and much-needed result will provide some respite and should help build confidence after Wolves beat the Toffees.

Formation

Pereira has made changes to his team every week and it has been incredibly difficult to predict what line-up he will select.

It was expected that he would make changes to the starting XI again - and he made nine in total - but it was wholly unexpected that he would switch to a back four.

The head coach played a 5-2-3 consistently when he arrived last season and started this campaign in the same way.

In recent weeks he has begun to experiment with a midfield three and front two, but always maintaining his three centre-backs and two wing-backs as the cornerstone of his system.

Even when questioned about his slight change in formation, Pereira insisted he had the ability to tweak it further up the pitch, but that the squad was built for his defensive shape.

That was abandoned against Everton and Pereira - in his search to find something that will work and a shred of positivity - landed on a back four. He then admitted after the game that his own feelings on it are unimportant and he must find a way to make the players happy, get results and he is prepared to be flexible with his formation.

Although it does raise questions again about the poor recruitment in the summer, with Pereira having to experiment now after bringing players in to suit a certain system, it did also work on this occasion against Everton.

Wolves were defensively solid, while a somewhat chaotic and makeshift midfield three worked for this particular game. 

Most of that was down to Andre, who worked superbly as the pivot, often with little support.

But Jean-Ricner Bellegarde was forward-thinking and positive when he got on the ball, even if he does sometimes lack some quality, while Marshall Munetsi was an effective bulldozer and took his goal well.

Clean sheet

The performance was important and the result was even more crucial - but getting a clean sheet is something Wolves can really build from.

Particularly in the back four system, with some players coming in from the cold, it was important to be solid.

Wolves cannot afford to continue with their error-strewn performances and a display of solidarity from the defence on Tuesday evening will aid belief. The first clean sheet of the season is a big step for a struggling side.

One of the two players that did keep his place was Ladislav Krejci and for the first time since making his summer switch he started in defence.

The 26-year-old was signed as another defender, with the added bonus that he could play in midfield if necessary, and Wolves' failure to sign a new midfielder in the window resulted in Krejci playing the first two matches in the middle of the park and doing fairly well.

On this occasion he dropped back into defence, playing on the left side of two centre-backs, and his versatility continues to impress.

He is composed on the ball, finds the right passes, is athletic enough to cover ground and recover but also shows enough aggression to be strong in the tackle.

He has improved the team and in a transfer window where Wolves got a lot wrong, they certainly got this one right.

Molineux atmosphere

This win will help discontent among some fans to a certain degree, but Wolves have a long way to go to bring everyone back on board after their disastrous start in the Premier League.

The south bank sang in support of Vitor Pereira on Tuesday night, but Premier League results must improve as soon as possible.

Considering the start to the season, it should come as no surprise that many fans voted with their feet at Molineux.

The stadium was almost half empty with 18,758 in attendance and there were some chants against club chairman Jeff Shi again - albeit brief in comparison to Saturday afternoon.

Molineux was quiet, the atmosphere was as dull as the start of the game was - but what do the owners expect from the fans? The product on the pitch and communication off it has led to this anger.

Modern football is expensive at the best of times, so those that stayed away on Tuesday cannot be blamed.

The fans in attendance did respond to the good goals from Munetsi and Tolu Arokodare and the relatively positive Wolves performance. 

The players must now continue to offer them something to cheer about and the fans will make their voices heard.