Everton midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.
Photo by Harvey Murphy/News Images/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Everton may not have taken all three points against Hull City on Sunday, but Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s return to form was a welcome sight.
The Toffees played out a 2-2 draw with Hull at the MKM Stadium, and plenty feel like it was a bit of a missed opportunity. Everton had taken the lead in the game with around 20 minutes to play, but couldn’t hold their lead after poor defending allowed Mohamed Belloumi to equalise for the visitors.
David Moyes was left disappointed after the game. But other results meant that Everton still moved up to fifth in the Premier League table.
So that is positive, as is Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall getting back amongst the goals – and Everton gave the midfielder a pretty perfect moniker following his performance.
What's your thoughts on Thierno Barry at the moment? 10 big chances missed in the PL, but six goals across all competitions. It's fair to say he divides opinion at Everton, but Dewsbury-Hall is a fan…👀
Credit: Getty Images/James Gill – Danehouse/Gary Oakley – Everton FC/Everton FC
No doubt he works hard but Christ he’s rubbish. Misses so many chances!
For me he’s overly criticised. There is so much pressure on him now to deliver and he’s doing OK. I’m not saying he should get off scot-free in terms of being criticised and he obviously needs to get more consistent, but his link-up play, work rate and body language have all improved
I think he’s got his place but there’s no doubt in my mind that Everton must sign a striker in January. Barry is a streaky player and has limitations which will take time to develop. Everton don’t have time if they want Europe thin season
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall gets his flowers from Everton and Alan Shearer
Dewsbury-Hall had been coming in for criticism from some fans in recent weeks for lacking influence and impact.
The Englishman has undoubtedly not yet shown the levels he did in the first-half of last season, and there were even some calls recently for him to be dropped.
Kiernan Does-it-all. 🔥 https://t.co/N9KHSgbmRI
— Everton (@Everton) October 12, 2026
But playing Dewsbury-Hall into form always felt like a sensible move, and thankfully he scored for the first time since the opening game. But the rest of his performance was also very good.
Everton took to X on Monday to put up a graphic of Dewsbury-Hall’s numbers against Hull, which were as follows:
73 touches
22 final third passes
6 duels won
4 chances created
1 goal
1 assist
And the club came up with a pretty perfect nickname for Dewsbury-Hall based on his comprehensive display at the MKM Stadium: Kiernan Does-it-all 🔥’
And the acknowledgement for his efforts against Hull extends beyond Everton and the fans, with Premier League legend Alan Shearer naming him in his latest Team of the Week (via Premier League official). He is the only Toffees representative.
Dewsbury-Hall must build on Hull display
Dewsbury-Hall will know himself that he hasn’t quite been at his absolute best this season, although even during these opening weeks he’s still posted some encouraging data metrics.
But we all know how impactful he can be in terms of scoring and assisting, and hopefully this will now be the catalyst for him to kick on and rediscover the form he showed last season.
If he can start contributing at a similar rate as he was last season, the Toffees will be in business. Obviously, Barry is the only striker at Everton right now and the burden on him to score regularly is considerable. So it is vital that others chip in and relieve that burden a little, and on paper, Dewsbury-Hall is probably the next best source of goals in the team.