Everton defender Michael Keane may have just piled the pressure on the two strikers Beto and Thierno Barry.
David Moyes was left ruing more missed opportunities on Monday evening from his players during the draw against Sunderland.
After a bright opening half an hour, Everton saw the game flipped on its head, with the Black Cats eventually finding their rhythm in the game.
Sunderland captain Granit Xhaka admitted Everton were the better side in the early stages of the game, but he also noted their missed opportunities.
Barry was awarded a rare start in the outing at the Stadium of Light before being replaced after just 57 minutes for Beto.
With neither finding the back of the net, Keane has now piled the pressure on the pair with a clear message in the wake of the game.
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Photo by ANDY BUCHANAN/AFP via Getty Images
Michael Keane shares clear Everton message to Beto and Thierno Barry
Earlier in the year, Moyes admitted he was not impressed with Beto following his showings over the summer.
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Just one Premier League goal has come from Everton’s two strikers in the opening 10 games of the 2025/26 campaign.
Speaking to the Everton media team after the game, Keane may have just piled the pressure on his two teammates to find their shooting boots.
“We haven’t had a clean sheet for a while. But yeah, we’d definitely like to put the ball in the back of the net more. We’ve had some good chances,” he said.
🗣️ “I think when we are playing well, we're a better team than we have been for a long time. It’s just about getting that confidence back in front of goal and getting back to clean sheets."
Read Michael Keane’s post-match assessment from Monday evening … ⬇️
— Everton (@Everton) November 5, 2025
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“Obviously, they’ve not gone in again. But on another night, you might go two up, you might even go three up.”
“But yeah, it’s not just happening at the minute, but we have to take responsibility for that as a whole team and all work on it together.”
Everton News is aware that January will see Everton target a new striker despite landing Barry for around £27m in the summer.
It is a notoriously difficult transfer window to do business in, but it is apparent that even those inside Everton feel something needs to change.
Everton must keep their faith in Thierno Barry
Everton chiefs believe in Barry’s potential despite his turbulent start to life as a Premier League player.
He may not have found the back of the net yet for Everton, but there were some promising signs on Monday evening.
Barry has not yet registered a shot on target for Everton but the youngster worked himself into some good positions against Regis Le Bris’ side.
Of course, he needs to find the back of the net, but constant squad rotation placing him in and out of the starting XI will not help him.
Everton welcome Fulham to the Hill Dickinson Stadium on Saturday afternoon and starting Barry would be a big confidence boost for the youngster.