By OkayGoal
Thierno Barry scored twice and set up the third as Everton came from behind to beat Coventry City 3-1 on Friday night, giving David Moyes a win in the match that drew him level with Harry Catterick’s club record.
It was Moyes’ 592nd game in charge of Everton, the same total Catterick reached, and fittingly Catterick also got there against Coventry. The win was the Blues’ third in nine days and lifts them to fifth in the Premier League, at least until the rest of the weekend’s games are played.
Thierno Barry now has 10 goals for the season in all competitions, and the Frenchman showed on Friday that there is more to his game than finishing.
How did Everton beat Coventry?
Everton went behind seven minutes after half-time. Coventry had too much room down the right channel, and Yann Gboho played a one-two with Sakamoto before poking a close-range finish through Jarrad Branthwaite’s legs and past Jordan Pickford.
The response took four minutes. Vitalii Mykolenko whipped in a cross from the left and Barry headed it into the bottom corner. Just past the hour, Tyrique George floated a ball to the back post from the other flank and Barry bundled it over the line off his midriff. It was not pretty, but it was his 10th of the campaign.
The third, nine minutes from time, was the pick of the night. Barry collected the ball just inside the Coventry half, spun and threaded a pass down the left channel for Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, who still had work to do before smashing it past Carl Rushworth at his near post.
Everton 3-1 Coventry: Lampard’s side should have been ahead
Frank Lampard’s newly promoted side were the better team for long spells of the first half. Pickford had to save Sakamoto’s shot with his legs after the Japanese winger was slipped through, and Jack Rudoni drilled a low angled drive just past the left-hand post.
Everton had their chances before that. George and Dewsbury-Hall combined to send Barry through on nine minutes, but his first touch pushed him wide. Mykolenko then forced a save from Rushworth after a messy Coventry clearance, and Harrison Armstrong almost nodded home his first Everton goal from the scramble that followed a Dewsbury-Hall free-kick.
Moyes made one change from the 1-0 win at Newcastle on Monday. Tyler Dibling started on the right wing, Merlin Röhl dropped to right-back and Jake O’Brien went to the bench. That was the shape we expected in our Everton predicted lineup vs Coventry, with Branthwaite again alongside captain James Tarkowski.
Everton XI: Pickford, Röhl, Tarkowski (c), Branthwaite, Mykolenko, Garner, Armstrong, Dewsbury-Hall, Dibling, George, Barry.
What did Barry say after his double?
Barry kept it simple after the game. He said: “I’m very happy. When we came today, we wanted to win, and we won. And I scored two goals, so it’s good.”
He added: “In the last game, I think I could’ve scored more, but today, I think I scored all my chances. It’s the job of the striker to score. I’m in good form at the moment. I want to stay like this and score lots of goals this season.”
Moyes, speaking at full-time, called the night “special”. It was some way to mark the milestone after a build-up dominated by Jack Grealish’s fitness, as covered in our Everton vs Coventry preview.
Is Barry now Everton’s most important player?
It is hard to argue otherwise. Everton let Beto go to Fiorentina for €18m in the summer, which left Moyes with one senior striker, and that has put a lot on Barry’s shoulders. Ten goals before the November break says he is carrying it.
What stood out on Friday was the assist. A striker who scores is valuable; one who can drop in, turn and find a runner makes everyone around him better, and Dewsbury-Hall, unlucky to miss out on the England squad named earlier in the day, was the man who profited.
Pickford, Branthwaite and James Garner head off with England for the games against Croatia, and Everton go into the break fifth, through to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals at Fleetwood Town and with their manager level with a club great. His next game in charge will take him past Catterick’s total, and with Barry in this form, Everton fans will fancy that one too.