Jarrad Branthwaite in action for Everton at Hill Dickinson Stadium
Jarrad Branthwaite in action for Everton at Hill Dickinson Stadium
David Moyes made just the one change to his Toffees team that beat Newcastle 1-0 on Monday night.
Tyler Dibling came into the side in place of Jake O'Brien, with Merlin Rohl shifting to right-back as a result.
Yan Gboho gave Coventry a well-deserved lead after 52 minutes, but that seemed to shock Everton into life.
Thierno Barry soon grabbed a quickfire double, before Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall netted late on to seal the points.
Goodison News rates every Everton player who played a part against Coventry out of 10.
James Tarkowski was way off his game vs Coventry
There are certain players managers can put in the starting lineup with little thought given, as it's to be expected they will put in a seven out of 10 display at worst.
For Moyes at Everton, James Tarkowski has been one of those players for him, seldom not showing his class.
However, that wasn't the case against Coventry, as the Toffees captain didn't look the typically assured defensive force.
He didn't impose his dominance in the duels, and could've quite easily given away a first-half penalty as well.
The VAR adjudged he hadn't pulled Caleb Yirenki's hair, nor that he handballed it either, but it came firmly under the 'seen them given' category.
Everton won the game in spite of Tarkowski's off night at the back, but he was lucky his centre-back partner was on top form.
Everton largely have Jarrad Branthwaite to thank vs Coventry
On a night where Everton's attackers couldn't get much going until Coventry's goal woke them up, the defence had to largely put the team on their back on Friday night.
The best of the bunch was Jarrad Branthwaite, as the 24-year-old put in a dominant display in central defence.
He won his duels both in the ground and on the air, made a number of important clearances and interventions and seldom gave the ball away in possession either.
On a day when Thomas Tuchel selected him as part of England's Nations League squad, Branthwaite showed exactly why he deserved it.
Had it not been for his performance, then Coventry would surely have found a way through more than once and taken the game away from Everton before they kicked into life.
Everton player ratings vs Coventry
Jordan Pickford - 7
Merlin Rohl - 7
James Tarkowski - 4
Jarrad Branthwaite - 9
Vitalii Mykolenko - 7
Harrison Armstrong - 6
James Garner - 6
Tyrique George - 6
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall - 7
Tyler Dibling - 7
Thierno Barry - 9
Substitutes
Jake O'Brien (for Rohl, '73) - N/A
Hayden Hackney (for Armstrong, '73) - N/A
Brennan Johnson (for Dibling, '73) - N/A
Michael Keane (for Branthwaite, '90) - N/A
Charly Alcaraz (for George, '90) - N/A