Barry's vibrant character a shining lightpublished at 07:52 BST 21 September
07:52 BST 21 September
Laura Kenyon Final Score reporter at Hill Dickinson Stadium
Image source, Getty Images
Thierno Barry is on course for a breakout season in the Premier League and Everton will surely feel they must protect him at all costs.
The 23-year-old striker was man of the match against Ipswich, adding a goal to his tally to make it five so far in 2026-27. Compare that with eight goals in 41 games last season and it is clear the Frenchman is already enjoying his second spell in English football.
But it is not just the stats that tell that story. Barry's celebrations at Hill Dickinson Stadium were joyous. The dance moves – giving it the hips – the smiles. He looks at home and the fans love him.
He even took joy from his controversially disallowed goal, posting on social media "you kill my bonus bro" – a light-hearted dig directed at team-mate Brennan Johnson.
Barry's vibrant character is a shining light illuminating a small Everton squad not afforded the benefit of multiple attacking options.
Keeping him fit could prove pivotal in the Blues' chances of mounting a serious challenge for European football.
'A thin squad but they still have quality' - Murphypublished at 11:40 BST 20 September
11:40 BST 20 September
Michael Emons BBC Sport journalist
Image source, Getty Images
When David Moyes returned for a second spell in charge of Everton in January 2025, the Toffees were 16th, one point clear of the relegation zone.
He has had to cope with rising expectations but was quick to point to the club's progress since he came back.
"I heard a lot of things [said] that last year was not so good and I thought 'my goodness, I don't know what the people are talking or writing about because it's absolute baloney'.
"It was fantastic what we did and we came so close to doing something that would have been incredibly special after no money, being on the verge of relegation, moving to a new stadium - and it has never been an easy job for anyone moving to a new stadium - so we came really close."
Assessing Everton's unbeaten status, former England midfielder and BBC pundit Danny Murphy said: "Nothing surprises me with a David Moyes side.
"They're so well organised, so well motivated and always dangerous when their backs are against the wall. There's been a lot of discontent among the fanbase regarding the owners and a transfer policy that left themselves short in forward areas.
"But the rest of the side is so well balanced, they all know their jobs, they know what they're doing and that backline with the keeper behind it is really solid. So, I never thought it was a catastrophe that they didn't get a striker in.
"Because they're so well organised and defensively so good, they're always going to nick results when they're not playing well. I do understand the fans' frustration, but I didn't think for a second they'd be in any danger because they didn't get cover in for their forwards.
"It is a thin squad, but they've still got quality."
Analysis: Moyes' Toffees moving in right directionpublished at 18:19 BST 19 September
18:19 BST 19 September
Michael Emons BBC Sport journalist
Image source, Getty Images
Manager David Moyes will be delighted at the start his Everton side have made to the campaign.
The Toffees won none of their final seven games as they finished 13th last season and missed out on the European qualification that at one stage had been within their grasp.
Everton also suffered a tough end to the transfer window, with key attacking midfielder Iliman Ndiaye going to Manchester City in a £65m deal and striker Beto, their top scorer last season, leaving for Fiorentina for £14.6m.
Both of those deals were completed on transfer deadline day, with Moyes unable to bring in a replacement striker, leaving him short of attacking options until January, unless he can find a suitable player to sign out of contract.
Therefore, it has been vital that Thierno Barry, their only recognised senior centre-forward, has stepped up this season. He got eight goals in all competitions in 2025-26 and now has five already this term - two in the Premier League and a hat-trick in the 4-0 win over Preston in the Carabao Cup - and was named as player of the match here.
Another boost for Moyes would have been a first league start of the campaign for Jack Grealish, who returned to the club on a second successive season-long loan from Manchester City.
Operating on the left wing, Grealish got a superb reception from fans when he was substituted after 79 minutes.
Another plus for Everton was the clean sheet, their fifth in seven games in all competitions, with Jarrad Branthwaite among those to be excellent after being named in Thomas Tuchel's England squad for the upcoming Nations League matches against Spain, the Czech Republic and Croatia.
Everton 1-0 Ipswich: What Moyes and Pickford saidpublished at 17:53 BST 19 September
17:53 BST 19 September
Media caption,
Everton manager David Moyes speaking to BBC Sport: "Hard to assess, we had good moments and not-so-good moments. We had good chances which we didn't take but Ipswich have done well and it was never going to be easy. Really pleased to get the three points.
"It's always a relief when you win but also when you're playing against 10 men it puts you under a bit more pressure. If we get the second goal it changes the game but Ipswich clung on and it allowed them to put us under pressure late in the game.
On Everton's disallowed goal: "It's tough for the referees to get the calls right, we would love consistency. I don't know if he [Brennan Johnson] impeded the goalkeeper. Was he offside? Absolutely. Could the goalkeeper have saved the header? No, he couldn't."
On Thierno Barry's goal: "I've not seen it again so I can't tell you [if he meant it]. Strikers will take goals any way they come. It will be good for him, he wants to play well and score goals.
"We have a tight-knit group, we wanted it to be that way and we will use it to our advantage. It is difficult when everyone wants you to have a cup run and do well in the league. We've had a pretty good week so well done to all the players."
Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford speaking to BBC Sport: "It was a great way to finish the week off.
"It was always going to be tough, especially when they went down to 10 men. The expectation was for us to win it and that is what we have done."
On goalscorer Thierno Barry: "He works hard and the goals will come from working hard. The first year in the Premier League is always tough, he has found his feet and he has started a lot better this year.
"It's always good to finish with a win, especially before a long international break. You have to dig in, that's the Everton way. We are building momentum and we will be focused and ready to go when we come back."
Everton have remained unbeaten in each of their opening seven games of a campaign across all competitions (won four, drawn three) for the third time this century, after 2006-07 under David Moyes and 2020-21 under Carlo Ancelotti (first eight in both).
Everton are the only team to win each of their five Premier League games prior to international breaks since the start of last season.
Thierno Barry is one of two Premier League players to score five or more goals in all competitions this season (two in the Premier League, three in the League Cup) alongside Erling Haaland (six).
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Sutton's predictions: Everton v Ipswich Townpublished at 11:05 BST 19 September
11:05 BST 19 September
I nearly went for an Ipswich draw last week but changed my mind and went for Crystal Palace to win.
That meant I'd predicted Ipswich would lose their first four league games and they are joint-bottom of the table based on my predictions.
Gary O'Neil's side have obviously done much better than that in reality - I know Palace went down to 10 men last week but, even so, well done to the Tractor Boys for finding a way to win that game.
Fair play to them, I like the ambition the club's owners have shown in the transfer market, and I really like the way O'Neil sets his team up. They are not just there to sit in in games, and they have got their reward.
I still fancy Everton to win this, though. They have made a great start to the season to stay unbeaten so far and, under David Moyes, they are a battle-hardened, resolute and well-organised outfit.
As a former Norwich striker, I often get accused of being biased against Ipswich, but I am not being overly negative about them here.
I just see it being a tough afternoon for them, without getting a goal, and then a long trip home for their fans on the A14 - hopefully they don't close any of the major roads on Saturday so it is not an even more miserable journey back for them.
Everton v Ipswich: Key stats and talking pointspublished at 19:46 BST 18 September
19:46 BST 18 September
Matthew Hobbs BBC Sport journalist
Everton aim to continue their unbeaten start against an Ipswich side bidding for back-to-back away wins.
BBC Sport examines some of the key themes going into their meeting at Hill Dickinson Stadium on Saturday.
The win over Wolves in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday provided the dual positives of extending Everton's unbeaten start to the season and allowing fringe players to come to the fore.
Second-half substitute Charly Alcaraz scored the winner after 80 minutes – his first goal for the club in 13 months – on his longest outing of the season so far.
Winger Tyler Dibling also impressed on what was only his eighth start since swapping Southampton for Merseyside in a £35m move a year ago, assisting the winning goal, while Brennan Johnson, usually utilised out wide, was effective as a central striker after replacing Thierno Barry.
The flexibility and impact of squad members is a welcome boon for manager David Moyes given he was limited to selecting from just 15 fit senior outfield players for the cup tie.
Christian Norgaard, Harrison Armstrong and Merlin Rohl are injured, and while Armstrong could return this weekend, Everton's arduous end to the summer transfer window is already being exacerbated by fitness issues.
The EFL Cup victory means that Everton prepare to face Ipswich Town having started their campaign by going undefeated in six games in for the first time since 2020-21, while it is only the second time in either Moyes reign that the Blue have gone unbeaten in their opening four Premier League matches.
While the midweek fixture was decided by players still earning their manager's trust, Everton's most recent league outing was influenced by somebody already assured of Moyes's good graces.
James Garner's all-action performance in the goalless draw at Tottenham was pivotal in earning a hard-earned point and a return to his superlative form of last season following groin surgery before this campaign.
Garner's physicality, creativity and versatility are all likely to be crucial assets if the Toffees are to push back towards the European places this season, but also in matches against unpredictable opposition.
Ipswich have impressed in beating Sunderland and Crystal Palace already this season, while they were competitive during the early stages of the defeat at Manchester United.
The Tractor Boys have earned six points after four matches, having taken 16 matches to do so during their previous Premier League campaign in 2024-25.
However, they are only the third team in the competition's history to earn six points at this stage while conceding as many as 10 goals.
The juxtaposition of Ipswich's points and goals-against tallies point to a side playing more open football than in their tactical approach to the top flight two years ago.
A key part of that increased ambition has been the threat posed by summer signing Julio Enciso. The 22-year-old tops most of Ipswich's attacking metrics, including touches in the opposition box (14), shots (14) and dribbles (20), while he has also drawn more fouls resulting in a card for an opponent than any other Premier League player this season.
Enciso also has form for troubling Everton having scored to help earn a 2-2 draw at Goodison Park in May 2025 while on loan from Brighton, on Ipswich's most recent trip to the blue half of Merseyside.
The hero last time out, however, was Zian Flemming, another summer signing scoring his first goal for the club in the 90th minute to seal a 3-2 win at Selhurst Park.
Flemming's involvement will not be lost on Moyes given Everton were reportedly interested on deadline day, nor Ipswich's summer outlay of £185m – a sharp contrast to Everton's trading profit of £25.4m.
Ipswich boss Gary O'Neil will hope the club's recruitment drive will prove decisive as he hunts a first Premier League victory as a manager against Moyes, having lost all four meetings so far.
His Everton counterpart can only hope his whole squad continues to contribute across the course of this season.
'51% Jarrad' - Tuchel explains choosing Branthwaite over Colwillpublished at 16:58 BST 18 September
16:58 BST 18 September
England boss Thomas Tuchel says the decision to include Everton's Jarrad Branthwaite over Chelsea's Levi Colwill in his England squad for the upcoming international break was as close as "51% on Jarrad".
Both left-footed central defenders were not included in this summer's World Cup squad after 2025-26 campaigns significantly disrupted by injury.
On Colwill, 23, who missed the entirety of the campaign with a serious knee injury but has started three of Chelsea's opening four Premier League games, Tuchel said: "He is very close. I have a very clear picture of what Levi can give to his team and to us, and about his strengths."
Branthwaite's hamstring problems limited him to just 10 Premier League appearances last season but the 24-year-old has played every minute of Everton's league games so far in 2026-27.
"I wanted to give Jarrad the chance. He was injured several times when we had the chance to call him up," Tuchel explained.
"Now he had a very good start with Everton and is also left-footed - it was just a 51% on Jarrad because I don't have a clear idea what he is about but I have a clear picture of what Levi can bring us."
Moyes on team news, Branthwaite's England call-up and Dibling's 'fight'published at 15:07 BST 18 September
15:07 BST 18 September
Holly Bacon BBC Sport journalist
Media caption,
Everton boss David Moyes has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Ipswich at Hill Dickinson Stadium (kick-off 15:00).
Here are the key lines from his news conference:
Moyes said they are "still waiting" on Harrison Armstrong's fitness but they "expect him to be OK". He also confirmed Merlin Rohl will not feature on Saturday but hopes he will be ready by the end of the international break.
On their unbeaten start to the season: "We're pleased with the players, but obviously we'd like to turn a couple of those draws into wins if we can. But, on some occasions, we turned maybe losses into draws so we have to accept that."
On Jarrad Branthwaite's England call-up, the Everton boss said: "I hope he doesn't play four games, that's for sure! But I'd be thrilled if Jarrad gets in, and he's got potential to be a really good player and is showing lots of that at the moment." Moyes also admitted Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall "might just be a bit unlucky to be outside of it at the moment" but said "if he keeps scoring and keeps playing the way he has been then he'll be in with an outside chance".
On the extended international break: "You can look at in a way where I'd say we'd like to keep it going now [momentum] - why would we want to stop? But on the other hand, it also gives us a chance with a smaller squad just to try and make sure that we can get the players correct [in terms of fitness]."
Moyes praised Tyler Dibling's performance against Wolves and said: "I think he's got a bigger fight in his belly. I think he's acting in a way where he's wanting to show it. He did, certainly, in the game in midweek. It can take time [settling in]".
He added: "I think there's a lot of Everton's culture, what we need, that he still has to find and show for us. I think he's beginning to show that. I think he showed it on a brilliant recovery tackle in the game the other night."
The Everton boss was asked whether you have to be a certain type of person or player to succeed at the club, and he responded: "I believe so. I believe there is... which has been handed down from Howard Kendall, Peter Reid - you can name them all, all the people over the years who've been at the club. I think there's something in it and I think that culture is still here and I hope it remains here."
Before the visit of Ipswich, Moyes was asked about expectation when facing a newly-promoted side: "I don't think you can take any team for granted, and certainly if people are raising their expectations because of the opposition, they've certainly got it wrong."
'When Dibling was on the ball, stuff happened'published at 11:10 BST 18 September
11:10 BST 18 September
Media caption,
Everton fan Chris Wardle wants to see Tyler Dibling kick on after his impact in the Toffees' 1-0 win over Wolves in the Carabao Cup.
Wardle told BBC Radio Merseyside: "When he was on the ball, stuff happened - he got it, he was positive, he went forward, he took players on.
"He nearly set up an absolutely brilliant goal with a through ball behind the back, and then we saw the commitment that he's got with the last-ditch tackle as well. That's the type of stuff we've not seen from him previously, that kind of aggression and determination.
"It'd be good to see him kick on. I can't see him starting the next game but he might start in the next League Cup game. He's not quite ready to start for me, but if he can start coming off the bench and impacting games and playing like that from the bench, it'd be really good to see him get a bit more time."
Midfielders: Elliot Anderson (Manchester City), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Myles Lewis-Skelly (Arsenal), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Alex Scott (Bournemouth).
Forwards: Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Leeds United), Eberechi Eze (Arsenal), Anthony Gordon (Barcelona), Rio Ngumoha (Liverpool), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), Morgan Rogers (Chelsea), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal).
Gossip: Real Madrid considering Branthwaitepublished at 08:13 BST 18 September
08:13 BST 18 September
Real Madrid are weighing up a move for Everton's 24-year-old English defender Jarrad Branthwaite, who is also on the radar of several Premier League clubs. (Goal, external)
The Toffees are unlikely to pursue Tottenham and Brazil forward Richarlison despite the 29-year-old being linked with a return to Everton over the summer. (Football Insider, external)
Matt: So happy for Tyler Dibling and Charly Alcaraz, stepping out of the shadows and showing their quality to get us past a stubborn Wolves. Moyes has no choice and has to give them minutes now!
Greg: Patchy to say the least. Nice to see Dibling take his chance but the last 10 minutes were disgraceful. Strolling around like the game was won. Do that against Ipswich and they will beat us. Still, a win's a win and another home draw to look forward to.
Steve: Clean sheet and into the next round, it's a win-win for me. We need a good cup run too.
Jeff: We didn't create many chances, let alone convert them, but I am very pleased that Moyes did not field a B-squad. That stands out for me. Let's take this cup serious and let us dream of silverware.
Bill: Scraped through. We need a forward who can take the opportunities that are presented to them. Leave Barry out, he is a nightmare and is keeping out a player that deserves to be selected and work for the team.
Ross: We did just enough. Just. And I'm afraid it's time to make a big decision over Barry. He can't hold the ball up, and he's not finishing golden chances. We improved after he left the pitch and I don't think he's trusted by the rest of the team.
Les: Great result ground out against a good team. Good to see some players getting more game time and happy for Charly to score. Still unbeaten this season, let's keep it up!
'We want to go on and win it' - Garner on cup progressionpublished at 09:39 BST 17 September
09:39 BST 17 September
Everton midfielder James Garner spoke to BBC Radio Merseyside after helping his side reach the fourth round of the Carabao Cup with a 1-0 win over Wolves.
Garner said: "We've spoken about it a lot, we want to have a good cup run this year, we don't want to just participate, we want to go on and win it. It's a step in the right direction."
On whether Everton feel like they can really target both cup competitions this year, he added: "I don't see why not. This club hasn't won a trophy in a long time so it'd be good to try to get one this season. We'll see what we can do!"
Image source, Getty Images
