Earlier in the week, Moyes had put his young centre-forward in strange company. “Erling Haaland should be worried,” he said of Barry replacing the Manchester City striker as the Premier League’s most lethal finisher, according to Yahoo Sports. On Friday evening Thierno Barry gave the line something to stand on.

Coventry City had taken the lead through Yann Gboho in the 52nd minute, the Ivorian slaloming through challenges before poking the ball past Jordan Pickford to silence Hill Dickinson Stadium. Barry’s answer was immediate and almost identical: in the 56th minute he met Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s cross with a header at the back post, and five minutes later he was there again, bundling in a near carbon-copy second to put Everton ahead. Dewsbury-Hall sealed the result with nine minutes left, finishing from a tight angle after a precise through ball from Barry himself.

Only Haaland scoring more

The double took Barry to 10 goals in all competitions this season, two more than he managed in his entire first campaign at Everton. Only Haaland has scored more Premier League goals in 2026-27, with nine for Manchester City, according to the league’s current scoring charts. It was the first time the 24-year-old had scored in three straight matches for Everton, and he has six goals in his last seven appearances across all competitions, Yahoo Sports reported.

Barry was briefly made to wait for his second goal while VAR reviewed a possible handball, with Coventry convinced he had used his arm to force the ball in. His verdict was blunt.

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“A goal is a goal,” he said, according to Bein Sports.

Moyes matches Catterick

The win was a personal landmark for the manager. It was Moyes’s 592nd match in charge of Everton, equalling Harry Catterick’s club record for most games as Everton boss. The result also lifted Everton above Merseyside neighbours Liverpool and into fifth place in the Premier League table, as reported by Yahoo Sports.

Frank Lampard’s Coventry were left arguing with the officials. Three VAR calls went against the visitors over the course of the match, including two penalty appeals waved away either side of half-time, and the promoted side remain outside the Premier League relegation zone.

The Premier League now breaks for internationals before Everton return to action against Fulham on November 22, with Barry still chasing Haaland in the scoring charts.

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