Everton stars receive inevitable response after emotional Lampard's gesture

At the end of this contest, a visibly emotional Frank Lampard ushered his players towards the few fans still gathered in the Gwladys Street who hadn't bolted early for the exit.

It was as though, in his frustration and immense irritation, he wanted them to front up the supporters and know what Everton actually means to them. Inevitably, they were greeted with fury.

These are people who pay so much of their hard-earned money to not just follow Everton, but to believe in them. And frankly, here on a grim Sunday afternoon where the gathering black clouds were a metaphor for the club's position, there was little to believe in.

Wolves had to do little more than be competent and organised to win a game which saw them rise to within four points of the Champions League spot. It wasn't a top four performance, it was almost a perfunctory one.

Yet it was still far too much for an Everton team who were beaten long before Jonjoe Kenny was dismissed in the 79th minute for his second bookable offence, as his desperation boiled over into crude ill-discipline.

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And that is as ominous as the dark skies, because the reality of the Blues' situation is their Premier League fate will surely be decided by home form.

They have taken just six points on their travels all season, and with trips to the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool, West Ham, Leicester and crucially Burnley and Watford, you suspect there will be few more away from home.

Which makes games like this all the more important. Yet on this evidence, the Everton players either don't realise the urgency of their situation, or simply can not respond to it.

They had only two shots on target in the 90 minutes, and the Wolves keeper Jose Sa really had just one save to make, when he raced from his line to block at the feet of Richarlison in the seventh minute.

And that was it. If there was a nervous anxiety on the terraces, then it was little wonder, because there is much to be worried about.

It doesn't help, of course, when the crowd get on the backs of the players for merely trying to recycle possession. Wolves did that, and eventually took complete control of the contest.

But it is up to the players to inspire the fans, and that comes with targeted aggression, with passion. You can not win football games if you don't tackle. That may seem like stating the bleeding obvious, but it seems Everton can't see what is in front of their faces.

The performance of second half substitute Dele Alli was almost a distillation of Everton's problems. He looked lost, won one challenge of eight, one header, and was offside on the three occasions he ran beyond the Wolves back line.

This defeat wasn't his fault, but it is a symptom of the problems Lampard faces - no energy, no passion, no real idea.

When the excellent Ruben Neves - who sublimely controlled the game for Wolves - stroked over a gorgeous free kick, Conor Coady was allowed to rise unchallenged and guide his header into the far corner.

Wolves should have had more after Kenny's dismissal. But one was easily enough, against opponents who look lost. Unless they can turn around bruised confidence and find an identity swiftly, their Premier League status will be lost too.