Has any Premier League club ever done worse business than Everton?

The little things amplified the differences. On the touchline, as the goals rained in, a posse of six men in black coats gathered in a group hug and bounced in celebration.

At the final whistle, the players who had secured three points made their way to the away section, followed by the substitutes and coaching staff, and stood to applaud the visiting fans; the manager provided the final flourish with three elaborate fist pumps that were wildly cheered.

Here were Wolverhampton Wanderers, a club united and working towards a clear vision. They are only 25 games out of the Championship and still have rough edges, but they have started a journey and everybody knows the direction in which they are heading.

Compare that with Everton. The stadium was three-quarters empty as Wolves reflected on their triumph, the suffering home fans having seen enough by the 66th minute when Leander Dendoncker scored the third goal for Nuno Espirito Santo's team.

The players made their way back to the dressing room in dribs and drabs, while Marco Silva, their embattled head coach, stood alone. He looked haunted, helpless almost. This, in many ways, had been the worst in a series of wretched Saturday afternoons.

'It is clear for us to improve and not make these mistakes,' said Silva, who recognises his position is under increasing scrutiny. 'We have to realise what is required. I'm not here to be nice. If the truth is needed, if I have to blame (the players), I will do that.'

A penny for Farhad Moshiri's thoughts. When Everton's major shareholder launched his pursuit of Silva, he had visions of a young Portuguese coach masterminding dominant, ruthless performances at Goodison Park. He didn't expect to be on the receiving end.

Moshiri, certainly, has spent lavishly to try to make the dream become a reality — almost £300million — but the money has been invested badly. You could say the past four windows represent some of the worst business that a Premier League club has ever done.

Everton have bought and sold so many players that they have lost their identity. Silva and director of football Marcel Brands have come in for the tail-end and have an enormous mess to clean up. There will be no easy fix but you do wonder whether Moshiri will be patient.

Wolves, in the same four windows, have spent around £90m to land talents such as Ruben Neves, Jonny, Diogo Jota, Adama Traore and the peerless Joao Moutinho. Look at the evidence and see who got the best value.

'It is a growing process,' said Nuno. 'It began more than 18 months ago; the same people and players, trying to find solutions and to improve. We still have a long way to go. If you have desire and hunger, you are always able to fight.'

Again those words amplified the differences. Desire, hunger and fight: those were virtues which once came guaranteed from Everton. If they studied Wolves closely, they would have seen everything they used to be.