Maybe Everton should request to play under the lights every week. It certainly seems to push David Moyes‘ team to new heights.
Following hot on the heels of consecutive night victories over Newcastle United, Friday’s 3-1 win against Coventry City was a reminder of why, under Moyes, there is renewed sense of optimism at Everton.
Up to fifth, above Liverpool, and in a Carabao Cup quarter-final at Fleetwood, it could prove to be a special season.
This always felt like a big task for Frank Lampard, back at Everton for the first time since his sacking in 2023.
Popular as the ex-manager may be, there’s no room for sentiment, certainly not from Moyes on a night he took charge of his 592nd game, drawing level with Harry Catterick for managing the most games in the club’s history.
He’ll set it outright after the international break against Brentford and Keith Andrews, who was 21 when Moyes first took up the reins at Everton.
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Thierno Barry (right) now has 10 goals this season after being widely derided in his first season on Merseyside
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall had been left out of the England squad in the morning, but refused to let it spoil his night
His side started impressively, fashioning three shots in the opening 10 minutes, before losing all momentum and allowing Coventry into proceedings.
It took going 1-0 down, to a soft Yann Gboho goal, for the hosts to come alive. Thierno Barry, so often the source of frustration last season, was magnificent and all but won the game with a five-minute brace in the second half.
The striker didn’t score his first goal until December last season. This campaign, he’s reached 10 before the second international break. Moyes joked post-match that Erling Haaland should watch his back in the Golden Boot race is starting to feel less absurd. Barry now sits joint second in the charts.
Both goals against Coventry came via back post-duels. The first he confidently headed past Carl Rushworth, before bundling in a second five minutes later.
The disgruntled home fans booed the team off at half-time, yet were jubilantly cheering and signing after Barry’s brace. The Frenchman danced on the pitch at full-time and was serenaded by the South Stand.
‘I don’t see loads of young centre-forwards scoring loads of goals in the Premier League,’ said Moyes.
‘He’s come in and has settled in a bit more. His language and communication is better and obviously he’s worked to get himself into the positions to score.’
Barry wasn’t the only Everton goalscorer, of course. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall was not one of the three Everton players named in Thomas Tuchel’s England squad on Friday – only Arsenal had more representatives.
But the midfielder sent a pointed message to the Three Lions’ boss with a superb showing that was capped with a late powerful goal to end the contest.
‘It was a disappointing morning, I’m not going to lie,’ Dewsbury-Hall told Sky Sports after the game. ‘It’s a massive dream to play for my country. I know I was close.
‘Yeah, sad, but really proud of myself and how I have reacted. All I can keep doing is putting in good performances and hopefully one day I get the nod, because I’m never going to give up. I’ve got the mentality. I’ll keep pushing and pushing and see what happens.’
‘He’s desperate to play for England,’ added Moyes. ‘You never know if England get a couple of injuries, or anything changes.’
What ended as a comfortable win could have been a different outcome had Jame Tarkowski been punished for a hair pull on Caleb Yirenkyi, or if Vitalii Mykolenko’s tussle with Taiwo Awoniyi in the box had been deemed a foul.
Both were checked and cleared by VAR, as was a handball claim in the build-up to Barry’s second goal.
‘Tarky pulls on Caleb’s hair, they [VAR] are saying it’s not enough of a pull,’ said an aggrieved Lampard afterwards. ‘That’s a hard area to be in. What is hair pull and what’s not?
‘I think Taiwo, on the edge of the box was a penalty. I feel there’s a penalty by the time Myko’s knee is in the back of Taiwo’s knee on the line of the box.
‘Then the Barry one is handball. He flicks it in [with the hand] with the final touch. Nothing went for us tonight.’
