Barry Scored Twice. His Pass Told Another Story.

Everton were trailing Coventry City when Thierno Barry began turning the match around.

Yann Gboho had given the visitors the lead in the 52nd minute, finishing a move involving Tatsuhiro Sakamoto. Coventry had created problems for David Moyes’ side throughout the game, and now they had a goal to show for it.

Four minutes later, Barry headed Everton level.

Five minutes after that, he scored again.

By the time Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall made it 3–1 in the 81st minute, Barry had contributed to all three Everton goals. His two finishes had changed the score, but the pass that created the third told us something else about what he could offer.

This time, Barry wasn’t waiting inside the penalty area for someone to find him. He had received the ball further back, turned and played Dewsbury-Hall through.

It was a different kind of contribution from the same centre-forward.

And after what Barry had done against Newcastle in the previous two matches, it was becoming worth a closer look.

Coventry made Everton work for the comeback

Moyes had kept faith with almost the same team that won at Newcastle four days earlier.

Tyler Dibling was the only new starter. He came in on the right wing, Merlin Röhl shifted to right-back, and Jake O’Brien dropped to the bench. Barry stayed up front, with Tyrique George providing width on the other side and Dewsbury-Hall supporting the attack.

Everton had opportunities early on.

In the ninth minute, George combined with Dewsbury-Hall before finding Barry inside the right side of the penalty area. The striker couldn’t quite get the ball under control to finish cleanly.

Harrison Armstrong later had an opportunity in a crowded Coventry box, but the visitors managed to clear the danger.

Coventry were threatening at the other end, too. Sakamoto tested Jordan Pickford, while Jack Rudoni sent an effort narrowly wide. There were also contentious decisions involving James Tarkowski and Caleb Yirenkyi, followed by another incident when Taiwo Awoniyi went down under a challenge from Vitalii Mykolenko.

It was hardly a game Everton had under complete control.

When Gboho scored shortly after half-time, Coventry had reason to believe they could take something from the match.

Barry’s response was immediate.

Barry kept finding the space that mattered

The equaliser arrived in the 56th minute.

Mykolenko delivered from Everton’s left, and Barry met the ball with his head, directing it beyond Carl Rushworth.

There is a small discrepancy in the published reports. Everton’s official account and match-event records credit Mykolenko with the delivery, while Sky Sports names Dewsbury-Hall. Mykolenko is the credited provider in the event data, although that does not settle every touch earlier in the move.

The essential point is that Barry was in position when the ball arrived. He had found the space to meet the cross and finish.

Five minutes later, George sent another delivery towards the far post.

Barry was waiting in another dangerous position, close enough to goal to turn it into Everton’s second.

This finish brought considerably more controversy.

Everton’s official report described the ball going in off Barry’s midriff. Coventry argued that the ball had struck his hand, and Frank Lampard was unhappy with the decision.

VAR reviewed the incident and allowed the goal to stand. The Premier League’s explanation stated that no handball offence had been committed.

The goal counted, although the available descriptions do not justify calling it a clean second header.

What stood out across the two goals was Barry’s movement.

He had arrived where the deliveries could hurt Coventry, first to head the ball home and then to get another decisive touch close to the goal.

Mykolenko and George provided the service. Barry made use of it.

That is what Everton need from their centre-forward when they attack from wide areas. He has to give the player on the ball somewhere dangerous to aim.

By the 61st minute, Barry had done that twice.

Then, with Everton protecting their lead, he showed another side of his game.

The pass was just as important as the goals

There were fewer than ten minutes left when Barry received the ball just inside Coventry’s half.

Dewsbury-Hall was making a run into the left channel.

Barry turned, saw the movement and threaded the ball into his teammate’s path.

Dewsbury-Hall still had plenty to do. He carried the move forward and finished from a tight angle, beating Rushworth to give Everton a two-goal advantage.

Barry’s decision had made the opportunity possible.

For his first two goals, he had been the player his teammates were trying to find. On this occasion, he was the one finding someone else.

That matters when Moyes relies so heavily on him to lead the attack.

A centre-forward who threatens the penalty area gives defenders a clear problem. They have to track his movement, deal with crosses and react when loose balls appear near goal.

When that same player can receive possession away from the box and release a runner, he offers another way to move the attack forward.

Barry demonstrated that ability in one important passage against Coventry. It would be too much to say the pass alone proves he has become a consistently creative striker.

But it wasn’t an isolated recent example of him helping a teammate score.

Newcastle had already seen both sides of Barry

On 29 October, Everton beat Newcastle 3–1 in the League Cup.

One of the important moments came when Pickford collected a Newcastle effort and quickly launched Everton forward.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall carried the attack, and Barry eventually delivered a cross for Hayden Hackney to finish.

Barry wasn’t the scorer in that move. He supplied the opportunity.

Later in the game, he scored himself, helping Everton secure the win.

Four days later, the teams met again in the Premier League.

This time, Barry settled the match by reacting to a goalkeeper’s mistake.

George shot, Newcastle goalkeeper Lukáš Horníček failed to hold the ball, and Barry reached the rebound before the defence could recover.

Everton won 1–0.

Across those two Newcastle matches and the Coventry comeback, Barry collected four goals and two assists.

Those numbers are impressive enough on their own, but the situations behind them reveal more.

He had crossed for Hackney after a quick counterattack, finished a loose ball against Newcastle, attacked deliveries inside Coventry’s box and then played Dewsbury-Hall through from a deeper position.

They were different actions requiring different decisions.

Barry was doing more than simply arriving to take the final shot.

For Moyes, that gives the attack useful options. Barry can remain the main target near goal without every successful move having to end with him shooting.

The next question is whether Everton can keep creating the conditions for him to contribute in those different ways.

One productive striker doesn’t mean the whole attack is fixed

There is another explanation for Everton’s recent results.

Barry may simply be making particularly good use of his opportunities.

Coventry had threatened Everton before going ahead. The second Barry goal involved a disputed VAR decision, and Lampard felt his team had been unfortunate with several calls.

Moyes also acknowledged afterwards that Everton had not played as well as they had in some earlier matches.

That leaves an important distinction between the striker’s performance and the quality of the team’s overall attacking play.

Barry can finish chances and supply good passes even when Everton are not controlling the match particularly well.

MATCHIQ’s earlier examination of Everton’s high press raised a related issue.

Against Hull City in October, Moyes’ side created chances and won plenty of aerial contests, but the evidence did not establish how many dangerous attacking opportunities came directly from high turnovers.

Everton’s 2–2 draw left questions about open-play chance quality, second-ball control and the protection behind their press.

Barry’s recent contribution doesn’t resolve those questions.

The Coventry goals came from deliveries into the penalty area. The third involved Barry receiving possession and playing a teammate forward.

Each sequence needs to be judged according to how the move actually developed. Scoring three goals doesn’t automatically prove that Everton’s high press created three good opportunities.

What the recent matches do show is that Barry can help Everton in several distinct ways. Whether those moments belong to a reliable, repeatable attacking pattern requires more evidence.

What Brentford will tell Moyes

Everton travel to Brentford on 23 November.

Barry will arrive having scored in three consecutive matches, and Moyes will have good reason to keep trusting him.

There will be more to watch than whether he scores again.

When Everton work the ball into crossing positions, does Barry continue to find space near goal? When he receives possession outside the penalty area, are Dewsbury-Hall and the other attacking players making runs he can pick out?

And when Everton win the ball high up the pitch, can they regularly turn those recoveries into meaningful chances?

Those details will tell us more about the development of Everton’s attack than another impressive individual scoreline.

The Coventry match offered an encouraging picture of Barry’s contribution. He had the movement to finish two chances and the awareness to create another for a teammate.

The goals showed why Everton value him inside the box. His pass for Dewsbury-Hall showed why they may be able to ask more of him elsewhere.

Barry is already doing more than finishing attacks. The next challenge for Everton is to make those different contributions a regular part of how the team creates them.