Thierno Barry's Hat-Trick Leads Everton to Victory Over Preston
Thierno Barry hit his first Everton hat-trick as David Moyes’ side tore through Preston North End to book a Carabao Cup third-round tie at home to Wolves.
On a night that felt routine long before the final whistle, summer signing Brennan Johnson finally ended his own wait for a goal in blue, adding Everton’s fourth as they dismantled their Championship visitors.
Moyes goes strong, Everton go straight for the throat
Back at a club he once managed, Paul Heckingbottom rotated heavily. Seven changes from Preston’s weekend defeat by Wolves hinted at priorities elsewhere and a squad still searching for rhythm after two winless league games.
Moyes did the opposite. Only three tweaks from the opening-day victory over Crystal Palace. This looked and felt like a Premier League side taking the competition seriously.
Everton played like it from the first minute. They pinned Preston back, moved the ball quickly, and forced the visitors to chase shadows.
The breakthrough came on 25 minutes and it was slick. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall split the defence with a superb pass, Vitalii Mykolenko burst onto it down the left and rolled a low ball across goal. Barry arrived where strikers should live, tapping in from close range to start his night.
Preston flicker, Everton punish
For a brief spell, Preston hinted at life. Heckingbottom’s changes almost paid off when Leo Leroy found space in the box, but his effort lacked the precision to punish Everton.
Tyler Dibling then cracked a shot against the post, a reminder that Jordan Pickford and his back line could not completely switch off. Iliman Ndiaye, lively and inventive, whipped in a teasing cross that Barry met – this time his header drifted just wide.
Those moments were as good as it got for the visitors.
The pressure told again just before the hour. Dewsbury-Hall, excellent between the lines, unleashed a fierce drive from the edge of the area. Preston goalkeeper Lee Nicholls could only push it back into danger and Barry reacted faster than anyone, steering in his second from close range.
Preston tried to respond with something spectacular. Callum Lang flung himself into an ambitious overhead kick, forcing Pickford into action, but it felt like defiance rather than a turning point.
Hat-trick sealed, Johnson joins the party
Any lingering doubt disappeared on 70 minutes. Everton sliced through Preston with a flowing move down the right, substitute Johnson timing his run and cross perfectly. Barry arrived again, this time guiding the ball home to complete his hat-trick and claim the match ball.
Goodison-style noise might have been missing, but the statement was clear enough: Barry is in form and enjoying himself. He now has four goals this season, adding this treble to his strike in the 2-0 win over Crystal Palace.
Johnson then added a deserved flourish of his own. Having joined from Palace in the summer and gone without a goal since November, he finally found the net. Barry turned provider, slipping a through ball into his path, and Johnson drove a low finish into the corner with 18 minutes still to play.
It was the sort of goal forwards remember – not spectacular, but important. A drought snapped, confidence restored.
There was one cloud for Everton. Barry appeared to take a knock late on and was withdrawn, his night ending on the bench rather than in the centre circle with the ball under his arm.
Even so, as Wolves prepare to visit in the next round, the message from Moyes’ side is loud enough: Everton have found a striker in ruthless mood, and a cup run that suddenly looks worth chasing.
