Everton's 3-1 win over Coventry City on Friday felt strange to watch back, with a fan columnist admitting a couple of incidents looked "iffy" live. Decisions went Everton's way, with Vitalii Mykolenko and James Tarkowski both fortunate.
Coventry and Frank Lampard's frustrations were understandable, but as David Moyes said, Everton have had so many incidents go against them that it was time something went in their favour. The columnist described the luck as "well overdue" and hopes it continues, noting Evertonians are not used to things going their way.
Team Performance and Tactical Concerns
Jake O'Brien played right-back against Newcastle and did well in a great team performance, though he let a few crosses in when Newcastle pushed for an equaliser. At home, the columnist wants Everton to be more proactive and on the front foot.
The line-up was the one most Evertonians wanted, but after five or ten minutes it did not seem to be working. The issue was not the personnel but the performance, with the team looking "leggy, standoffish, passive" after playing Monday night and again on Friday. There were too many touches on the ball and slow build-up play, with Coventry breaking lines too easily.
The columnist called for Everton to give no opposition respect at home, force errors and mistakes, but they never did enough. Coventry grew into the game, getting opportunities and going through Everton's midfield too easily, which was a huge concern despite the win.
Reaction and Momentum Shift
Going a goal behind sparked a faster, sharper response, raising the question of why Everton wait for something to happen before reacting. The equaliser was the most important moment, changing the whole stadium and lifting the fans, who had feared "here we go again" after going 1-0 down.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall scored a fantastic goal, but because he plays further up, he is not involved in build-up play. Hayden Hackney, when he comes on, is the type of player who can drive forward with the ball, and the columnist suggested Moyes may consider him to start controlling games more.
Three Wins on the Spin
Back-to-back defeats to Chelsea and Arsenal frustrated Evertonians, and with tough games against Newcastle and a big cup tie ahead, pressure was on Moyes. The manager answered questions by getting three wins on the spin, a remarkable feat given the size of the squad compared to others in the league. Moyes keeps pushing players to show it in training every day at Finch Farm.
Thierno Barry had already matched last season's goals total going into the Coventry game and is now on double figures. His goals are not spectacular, but he finds the right areas for tap-ins and is in the danger zone. A statistic shows he has scored only one goal from further than 11 yards out, that being the shot from Tarkowski that deflected off him. Barry started to click against Coventry, bullying the centre halves, and after his first goal he grew in confidence, brushing off defenders and spinning. He knows what he needs to do to get fans up, and they cheered when he made a tackle, showing he understands what it means to wear the royal blue shirt.
