Michael Keane and Jack Grealish sent off as Everton are held by Wolves

Everton shot themselves in the foot as they had Michael Keane and Jack Grealish sent off in a 1-1 draw which maintained Wolves’ recent momentum.

Keane, the Toffees’ goalscorer, was shown a red card for grabbing the hair of Tolu Arokodare in an aerial challenge.

But if manager David Moyes and the majority of Hill Dickinson stadium were furious with that decision, Grealish’s second yellow card – his first Premier League dismissal – for sarcastically applauding referee Tom Kirk in only his second top-flight game made them apoplectic.

Keane’s third goal of the season made him the club’s joint-second highest scorer in the Premier League this season, highlighting the issues Moyes is having to deal with.

But the team had been in control after his 17th-minute poacher’s finish, only to fail to capitalise and get picked apart far too easily as 18-year-old Matheus Mane scored for the second successive game.

Five points from three matches, with draws away at Manchester United and now Everton, shows Wolves have turned a corner after 11 straight league defeats but safety is still 14 points away.

That is not a worry for Everton but just one win in the last six and only two in seven at their new home, have damaged their unlikely hopes of being in the European picture.

Victory would have put them just four points off the top four but a negative goal difference, having scored just 23 in 21 matches, highlights why they will probably fall short.

Moyes has all-but ruled out January signings but with mere survival no longer a concern, the prospect of competing for European football ahead of schedule should prompt a rethink.

The loss of Keane for three matches and Grealish for one will stretch a threadbare squad further, with Senegal duo Idrissa Gueye and Iliman Ndiaye still to return from the Africa Cup of Nations and four others out with injury.

Resources are so scarce that they had to recall 18-year-old academy graduate Harrison Armstrong from Preston last week and he was handed his first Premier League start in a trio of orthodox central midfielders.

They scored from a set-piece when Dwight McNeil’s deep free-kick found James Tarkowski at the far post and he nodded back into the path of Iroegbunam.

The midfielder scuffed his attempted shot but succeeded in drilling it straight at Keane on the edge of the six-yard box and his instantaneous finish rifled into the roof of the net.

Everton’s centre-back, benefiting from an injury to Jarrad Branthwaite which has kept him out all season so far, almost doubled the lead from a similar free-kick, this time delivered by James Garner, but his header rebounded off the post.

Wolves changed shape and attitude after the break and two simple passes was all it took to undo the hosts.

Centre-back Yerson Mosquera was given the time and space to play a ball down the middle of the pitch to Jorgen Strand Larsen, only just on as a substitute, and he threaded through a pass for Mane to beat Jordan Pickford.

Everton were indebted to their England goalkeeper for an acrobatic save from Hugo Bueno’s shot in added time to prevent further embarrassment.