The Chris Beesley talking points after Everton's thrilling 3-3 draw with Manchester City in the Premier League at Hill Dickinson Stadium
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - MAY 4: Everton's Beto celebrates scoring his side's third goal with team-mates during the Premier League match between Everton and Manchester City at Hill Dickinson Stadium on May 4, 2026 in Liverpool, United Kingdom. (Photo by Lee Parker - CameraSport via Getty Images)
Thierno Barry is mobbed by his team-mates after scoring his second goal against Manchester City(Image: Lee Parker - CameraSport via Getty Images)
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Back on January 18, when Everton won 1-0 at Aston Villa, Merlin Rohl made what until this game was his most recent start. He hit the post after 11 seconds to be denied what would have been the fastest Premier League goal of the season but still produced what both he and many others considered to be his best display for the Blues so far.
Then, for the following three-and-a-half months, the 23-year-old remained on the periphery of David Moyes’ squad, as the man who shares his first name with the famous magician of Arthurian legend, performed what was a spectacular disappearing act.
Although the obligation to turn Rohl’s loan into a permanent transfer kicked in during this period as Everton’s Premier League status for next season was officially secured, he was restricted to just five minutes of action in late substitute appearances against Arsenal and Chelsea.
So, to see the acquisition from Freiburg back in the side, and deployed in a new right-wing role in so prominent a fixture came as a big surprise, but he excelled against one of the most talented and expensively assembled teams in the whole of world football.
Despite being the Blues’ costliest acquisition of last summer, Tyler Dibling has seen Moyes select an array of alternatives ahead of him for most of this season and Rohl can now be added to that list.
Iliman Ndiaye spent most of the first half of the campaign on that flank but has switched back to the left – where he spent most of his first year on Merseyside – following Jack Grealish’s injury and others picked there at various points include Carlos Alcaraz, Harrison Armstrong, Dwight McNeil and now Rohl. But in what was an energetic display, the powerful 6ft 3in Premier League rookie produced a display that was full of brains as well as brawn.
As Everton toiled in the first half, it was his lung-busting run that created the only real chance of note for Beto while in the chaos after the break, he kept his head to play a perfectly-placed pass to beat the offside trap and find substitute Thierno Barry for the Blues’ third.
Super sub
The last time Barry came on as a substitute and scored, he didn’t know much about it as Newcastle United defender Lewis Hall shoved him towards the ball and it went into the net off his backside. At least that goal proved to be the winner at St James’ Park as it’s cruel for the Frenchman and Everton alike that his brace off the bench here didn’t lead to another three points.
That aforementioned strike against the Magpies was the only one for Barry in his previous 11 matches, but in a debut season in the Premier League following his £27million transfer from Villarreal in which the fortunes of himself and Beto have waxed and waned when it comes to spearheading the attack, this was a timely return to form in the first fixture of the campaign’s final month.
It’s not just Barry’s form that has come under the spotlight in recent weeks, following his online comments on an incident involving Everton fans at Arsenal and, after coming in for some stick in previous matches at Hill Dickinson Stadium, there was another smattering of boos as he entered the fray here. However, it has to be hoped that this display can put to bed any lingering ill-feeling from a fanbase who had offered great support to the player, especially during his early struggles when he took 17 games to break his scoring duck.
When it comes to the 23-year-old’s form, many of the grumbles have surrounded gripes about supposedly not looking busy enough. Although Barry can sometimes suffer in this respect because of his body language that can sometimes appear languid, there was none of that here as he showed great anticipation to capitalise on Marc Guehi’s slack back pass and equalise.
Buoyed by his first goal, Barry then timed his run perfectly for his second to latch onto Rohl’s path and put Everton 3-1 up. That’s now eight goals for the season and a genuine possibility of reaching double figures.
But whether he reaches that landmark or not, here is a raw but developing talent who is worth persevering with as both a player and a person. Evertonians are hurting again, but Barry deserves to be feeling their warmth again.
Luck of the Irish
It was third time lucky for Jake O’Brien as he finally got his first goal of the season. This is because the Republic of Ireland had already found the net with headers against Tottenham Hotspur at home and Aston Villa away, only for his efforts to be ruled out because his team-mates were offside.
In truth there was nothing fortunate about this goal, as, after Everton had been guilty of lacklustre defending from corners in recent weeks, they showed just what a potent force they can be in the opposition box. The quality of James Garner’s deliveries from dead-ball situations and wide areas have become a regular supply line of chances for the Blues this term and in truth they should have capitalised upon them more often than they have done.
It was simple really, but wonderfully effective and reminiscent of the way that Moyes’ men have been undone in similar situations over the previous two weeks by first Virgil van Dijk and then Tomas Soucek.
For his part, O’Brien, who struck five goals for Olympique Lyonnais during his solitary season in France before joining Everton, has always possessed scoring instincts with both his head and his feet and this was long overdue.
Ndiaye profligacy
Ndiaye’s strike against Chelsea sealed what remains the most-spectacular Everton win at Hill Dickinson Stadium to date, but he had far more straightforward opportunities here to cap what would have been an even more impressive victory.
Given that the Senegal international made history by netting both the final goal at Goodison Park and first goal at Hill Dickinson Stadium, it seemed curious that his emphatic effort against the west London side was his first from open play since his spectacular solo strike at Sunderland in November.
Denied a hat-trick of landmark efforts by an offside flag in the first Merseyside derby at the Blues’ new home, Ndiaye should have been back among the goals here. One of his biggest strengths when finishing has been his coolness when one-on-one with opposition keepers and if you did want to choose an Everton player to go through on goal it would probably be him.
Unfortunately, that Midas touch deserted him here, on at least two if not three occasions. Gianluigi Donnarumma, in between the sticks for Manchester City, is arguably the world’s best in his position and both his considerable size and ability make him an intimidating opponent and obstacle when played through but Ndiaye should have done more to test and work a top-class custodian of his stature into harder saves than merely standing up to a shot and having it go down his throat.
The £15million signing from Olympique Marseille has been one of the Blues’ most inspired buys of recent years but after producing one of his best displays for the club in the first half of the reverse fixture at the Etihad Stadium this term, his performance after the break here was one of ‘what ifs?’