**Everton were denied a hat-trick of wins at home by Newcastle United.**
The visitors took a surprise early lead after just 54 seconds through Malick Thiaw was able to head home from an inswinging corner from Lewis Miley.
Provider turned poacher as David Moyes’ side fell further behind midway in the first half with Miley’s half-volley too hot for Jordan Pickford to handle.
Nick Woltemade piled on the misery shortly before the interval by lobbing Pickford after Anthony Elanga dispossessed Tim Iroegbunam in the build-up.
Things went from bad to worse for the hosts in the second half as they conceded a fourth with Thiaw heading at the far post to claim his brace.
Thierno Barry appeared to have clawed back the deficit with a well-taken finish but VAR disallowed his strike due to an accidental handball.
But the Blues finally breached the opposition’s net a matter of minutes later courtesy of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s rolled finish past Aaron Ramsdale.
The result saw Moyes’ side slip to 14th in the Premier League table, behind Liverpool on goal difference ahead of their neighbours’ trip to West Ham.
_Here were the key talking points from Hill Dickinson Stadium:_
Midfield disarray is no joke
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Everton sought to make light of Idrissa Gueye’s spat with Michael Keane.
The Senegal international’s sending off after scrapping with his teammate in Monday’s eventual win at Manchester United was highly out of character.
Relations between the pair were smoothed over in social media hijinks of them playfighting at Finch Farm but the incident is far from a laughing matter.
Gueye’s three-match ban, upheld by the Football Association on appeal, further decimated the midfield and came home to roost against Newcastle.
Shorn of the veteran enforcer in their engine room, the Blues found themselves overrun just seconds before Malick Thiaw’s first-minute opener.
They were able to wrest back control of the midfield battle after conceding early, garnering wins from from cheap fouls, but proved to be short-lived.
Gueye’s interim replacement Tim Irogebunam visibly struggled in a pattern which threatens to repeat in the remaining two games of his suspension.
The 36-year-old will be available again, briefly, for the trip to Chelsea on December 13 but the impact of his absence is no joke for David Moyes.
Moyes must heed early exodus
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This week saw empty red seats become a source of delight to Evertonians.
They had revelled in the sight of scarlet swathes cropping up at Old Trafford and, in an act of schadenfreude, Anfield while they toasted back-to-back wins.
Moyes, too, will have relished the fact that a long-awaited victory over his one-time employers had dovetailed with the downfall of Everton’s neighbours.
Yet the speed with which his own supporters were quick to make their way out of Hill Dickinson Stadium should serve as a warning sign for the near future.
Long-suffering fans have never been shy about voting with their feet when a game passes the point of no return and have already done so this season.
Last month’s [maiden defeat at Bramley-Moore Dock](https://www.clickliverpool.com/sport/everton-fc/61109-everton-0-3-tottenham-three-talking-points-jake-obrien-charly-alcaraz-beto/) against Tottenham saw those who had braved the elements leave in their droves long before full-time.
This time out, with a worse performance already long unfolded, the mass exodus began far sooner and spared several thousand further humiliation.
Losses are part and parcel of football but Moyes cannot afford such a gutless display to be a regular occurrence or risk the early darters growing in number.
Barry’s luck still refuses to turn
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There are some players who it feels are simply cursed in an Everton shirt.
Strikers have been particularly afflicted with the likes of Sandro Ramirez and Youssef Chermiti just two of those who were incapable of making their mark.
Thierno Barry could be forgiven for wondering if he is destined to join that ill-fated fraternity after enduring a 15th straight outing without finding the target.
The France under-21 international had taken the plaudits during the win at United but an ongoing lack of goals looms large with each passing game.
Barry started off promisingly at the fulcrum of the attack, with his link play again serving Everton well when creating chances in the opening stages.
He even had the measure of Newcastle’s defensive man mountain Dan Burn and should really have been rewarded with a long-awaited end to his drought.
Just when it appeared the gods were set to smile on Barry with a reducer in the second half, it was ruled out for an accidental handball in the build-up.
Still only 23, there are signs he is growing into a regular starter role but the former Villarreal man must currently feel like his luck might never turn.