TACTICAL ANALYSIS: Everton were triumphant in the first part of a double-header against Newcastle United, with the Blues set to travel to St James' Park in the Premier League on Monday
Hayden Hackney chipped in with a goal and an assist as Everton advanced to the Carabao Cup quarter-final for the first time in David Moyes' second stint at the club
Hayden Hackney chipped in with a goal and an assist as Everton advanced to the Carabao Cup quarter-final for the first time in David Moyes' second stint at the club(Image: Gary Oakley - Everton FC/Everton FC via Getty Images)
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Matthias Jaissle hasn't had it all his own way since replacing Eddie Howe as Newcastle United manager in the summer, and he'll be cursing his luck with his side set to do battle once again with their League Cup vanquishers in the Premier League on Monday (Nov 2).
Everton carved their North-East opponents apart on Thursday night (Oct 29), establishing a three-goal lead thanks to incisive counter-attacking play before the towering Geordie captain, Dan Burn, headed home a consolation goal in the dying minutes.
It was a clinical first half that gave the Toffees a 2-0 lead at the break, Hayden Hackney scoring the second from a perfect Thierno Barry cross after last year's Championship Player of the Season had set up James Garner to bend home the go-ahead goal from the edge of the box.
Yet things all could have gone very differently. Everton came under an onslaught from the Magpies in the second half, weathering a storm with just 28% of possession and facing 17 shots after the break.
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It may have been a closer game than the scoreline suggested, but when Barry made it three with 20 minutes to go, Newcastle had a mountain to climb - and it was one step too far for the visitors.
Hackney, yet to start another Premier League game for David Moyes' side since August, was hugely influential in giving his new side the breathing room required to navigate that tricky second half - but is he the immediate solution for Everton's midfield?
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Hackney brings balance
Hackney's first goal for Everton - a deftly-placed volley at the end of a lung-busting run into the box - will rightly be what is best remembered about his performance, along with his smart assist to release the ball quickly to Garner after Tyrique George had forced a mistake from Newcastle right-back Amar Dedic.
The No. 30's goal on the cusp of half time wasn't the first occasion on which he'd troubled Lukas Hornicek in the visitors' goal. Hackney also found the accuracy when connecting with a cross from Vitalii Mykolenko just 20 minutes in, but failed to produce the power required to beat the keeper.
It was a warning Newcastle didn't heed, with Hackney providing plenty of central thrust whenever Everton attacked during the first half, and the 24-year-old must have felt on top of the world with a goal and assist to his name by the time referee Farai Hallam blew for the break.
Hackney was plenty involved, only making seven touches fewer than Garner despite being substituted 29 minutes before the final whistle, and only the previous two games in this competition (against Preston and Wolves) have seen the Blues enjoy a higher first-half share of possession this season than the 58% they managed here.
Interestingly, Hackney's presence in the team had an effect on how both Garner and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall played, all three rotating much more fluidly than the trio of Garner, Dewsbury-Hall and Harrison Armstrong typically have in the league.
With these rotations in play, Garner occasionally advanced into areas where his technique could influence the attack, nearly landing a cross on the head of Barry from the right after a quick throw-in and, of course, planting his shot to Hornicek's left after receiving the pass from Hackney on the opposite side.
Dewsbury-Hall, too - voted the fans' Player of the Match - received the ball in deeper areas more often than usual, but still had the freedom to make runs in behind to support the attack, as he did for the third goal when picked out with a through ball from Garner before squaring it across the box for Barry.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall heatmaps: playing alongside Hackney against Newcastle, Dewsbury-Hall dropped into deeper and more central areas than he has typically this season
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall heatmaps: playing alongside Hackney against Newcastle, Dewsbury-Hall dropped into deeper and more central areas than he has typically this season(Image: Fotmob)
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With Hackney often pushing up alongside Dewsbury-Hall, the midfield 1-2 shape in possession that Moyes has used this season worked more effectively than it has done with Armstrong - both players threatening enough on the ball to create space for the other.
Armstrong, of course, was possibly the most encouraging element of the weekend's defeat to Arsenal, and performed well when he replaced Hackney after 65 minutes in this game, and it is no fault of his that he doesn't (yet) carry the same attacking threat as his more experienced teammate.
With uncertainty lingering over the full-back positions after Moyes was left with a dearth of recognised options in the summer transfer window, the Blues need more creativity and goal threat from their midfielders - and that's exactly what Hackney provided.
Encouragingly, five Everton players clocked two shots in this game: Hackney, Barry, Garner, Dewsbury-Hall and George - with the No. 30 in the mix, all of the Blues' midfielders were involved in attacking moves.
Defensively, too, Hackney got stuck in. Only Merlin Rohl made more tackles (five) than Hackney (two), the midfielder also making two blocks as he put in a committed display.
Nevertheless, Moyes' assessment of his midfielder's performance in his post-match press conference was cautious. "I thought there were bits of his game that were very good," Moyes said. "Getting a goal was great.
"There were other bits I didn't think was where it was, but I see this as a bit of bringing in Championship players and getting them used to the Premier League. A couple times you get caught in the ball.
"But I really enjoyed bits. He gave us a bit of an attacking play into the box, and obviously getting the goal was really good and there was a really good assist from Thierno Barry as well, to be fair."
Hackney was indeed caught in possession on one occasion, and his admirable commitment sometimes crossed a line - he finished the game with at least double the number of fouls of any other player on the pitch (six) despite spending the final half an hour on the bench.
Moyes - always a manager who has prioritised getting the basics right - may well count this against Hackney when choosing his next selection, but after giving Newcastle such a pre-Halloween fright here, Hackney has made a strong case to remain in the XI when the Toffees travel to St James' on Monday.
Pickford an unexpected weapon
One of the more surprising aspects to the goals Everton scored in the first half was Jordan Pickford's important role in both. Both Garner's and Hackney's goals started with a long punt from Pickford, who looked to release the ball quickly whenever he made a recovery.
This was seen again after the break, Pickford firing a driven pass out of his hands straight down the middle up towards Barry as soon as he collected the ball from Yoane Wissa's weak header in the 53rd minute - suggesting Moyes had identified Newcastle as being slow to get back into defensive positions.
Looking at Pickford's long ball counts from Everton's other matches this season, a familiar pattern begins to emerge. Against Crystal Palace, Bournemouth, Spurs, Ipswich and Chelsea - all sides in the top half of the Premier League for possessions won in the final third per 90 - Pickford went long at least 20 times, while against Manchester United and Hull, plus Preston and Wolves in the League Cup - all sides that press less effectively - that number was significantly lower.
Simply put, Pickford going long so often reflects a trend prevalent in the top flight this season - on average, Premier League matches this season have featured roughly 102 long balls per game, slightly up from 100 last season and significantly up from closer to 93 two seasons ago.
Funnily enough, Everton's average long balls attempted per game this season (49.6) has actually reduced from last season (52.8), even as more teams increasingly go long to evade man-to-man high presses.
Everton, and Pickford specifically, are still doing that when required. But it is interesting that in the Blues' last two games, against Arsenal and Newcastle, Pickford attempted 25 and 27 long passes respectively - both sides in the bottom half of the Premier League for possessions won in the final third per 90.
Granted, Arsenal made it virtually impossible for Everton to progress the ball through midfield thanks to their numbers advantage with the inverted Myles Lewis-Skelly, and Newcastle won possession in dangerous areas on more than one occasion in Thursday's game - most notably when Rohl gave the ball away in a central area just before Hackney's goal.
That turnover led to a chance for Harvey Barnes, and Pickford was in no mood for a repeat. Bowling the ball a considerable distance to Dewsbury-Hall in midfield (strangely, goalkeeper throws do not actually count as passes for the purpose of statistics), the former Sunderland man bypassed five Newcastle players and got Everton on the attack quickly.
Thanks to a bit of luck, Dewsbury-Hall was able to evade Burn's challenge and charge at the heart of the Newcastle defence before being taken out by Barry; the referee played advantage, though, as Barry got his head up and picked out Hackney for 2-0.
Pickford's involvement in the first goal was more of a speculative lump upfield, with George doing the bulk of the work in harrying Dedic to force the high turnover - but it was no less effective.
It may well have just been a response to Newcastle pressure but, given Everton saw 58% of the ball in the first half against a side that rank 16th in the Premier League for possessions won in the final third per 90, in this specific game it felt like more of a tactical instruction.
And, with the profile of Everton's main man up front taken into consideration, it could continue to be an effective one. Barry is winning on average more aerial duels per 90 than 94% of other Premier League strikers, and his combative style suits the element of chaos that such long balls can create.
Thierno Barry traits: Barry's most standout trait is the number of aerial duels he wins, making long passes into him a lucrative strategy for Everton
Thierno Barry traits: Barry's most standout trait is the number of aerial duels he wins, making long passes into him a lucrative strategy for Everton (Image: Fotmob)
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Against Newcastle, Barry showed his effectiveness when linking up with his teammates in counter-attacking situations, which is also helped by the fact the Frenchman has clocked a higher top speed (35.5km/h) than any other striker in the division this season.
With George, Dewsbury-Hall and now Hackney showing their instincts for making dangerous runs around him, long balls into Barry are a weapon Everton could be wielding to greater effect - not least because, despite his height and presence, Barry hasn't been the best at converting headed chances, with his headed conversion rate of 7.1% sitting significantly below his overall conversion rate of 11.1%.
These headed chances, which obviously come predominantly from crosses, account for the single most frequent type of chance that Barry has received in the Premier League this season, which so far hasn't been shown to suit him.
Instead, by playing into the organised chaos that long balls into Barry can create, Everton's other attackers and attack-minded midfielders could be taking advantage of the space this opens up around him to generate cut-back chances and more clear cut opportunities for the Frenchman to finish with his feet, as he showcased expertly with his goal in the second half.
This goal came from another fast counter-attack - this time from Garner making a smart interception in midfield - and was evidence of the smart attacking runs Barry can make when he has the space to do so.
Oddly enough, Pickford could make himself one of the Blues' biggest weapons in generating these scenarios more regularly, and bringing the best out of the only senior striker in Moyes' squad.
What's next for Everton?
This result, and performance - a first win in four in all competitions - will have given Moyes plenty to think about ahead of Monday's clash with the same opposition, not least the makeup of Everton's midfield.
Hackney would certainly feel aggrieved not to keep his place after a performance of such promise, yet Armstrong, too, has shown maturity beyond his years in stepping into a first-choice role this season.
Frankly, it would be harsh on either of them not to make the cut, but Garner's place feels secure after an improved performance and another sign that full fitness is not too far away for a player who underwent surgery in the summer.
Another key decision for Moyes is whether to persist with Brennan Johnson, who has started five of the last six Premier League games, or to give Tyler Dibling another chance to impress after an encouraging display against Newcastle.
Though he wasn't significantly more involved in the final third than Johnson has been since his arrival from Palace in the summer, Dibling provided a useful outlet and, despite being withdrawn with 15 minutes to go, made more touches than Johnson has in any of his 11 appearances to date.
Dibling completed two of his four attempted dribbles and won five of his 10 ground duels, consistently acting as a more proactive and competitive presence on the right than Johnson has in a blue shirt so far.
There is also, of course, the small matter of Jack Grealish. Fined and dropped from the team after an unauthorised absence from training, Grealish could yet return to the fold for Monday - but would he replace George directly, or does the former Chelsea man deserve the opportunity to rediscover his form from the beginning of the season from the right?
Whatever the lineup on Tyneside, the encouraging steps made here by Dibling and Hackney should give Moyes food for thought - and having more trusted options at the manager's disposal is certainly no bad thing.
*All statistics used are from Fotmob unless otherwise stated.
Jack Grealish (Photo by Tony McArdle/Everton FC via Getty Images)
Jack Grealish (Photo by Tony McArdle/Everton FC via Getty Images)