David Moyes
David Moyes
David Moyes praised Thierno Barry’s growing influence at Everton after Friday night’s 3-1 victory over Coventry City, but admitted his side had struggled to produce a convincing performance.
The Blues fell behind shortly after half-time at Hill Dickinson Stadium before Barry scored twice in quick succession and set up Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall for the third. The result lifted Everton to fifth in the Premier League ahead of the weekend’s remaining fixtures.
Moyes pleased with Barry’s improvement
Speaking to BBC Match of the Day, Moyes acknowledged that Frank Lampard’s Coventry side had caused Everton considerable problems.
“I wasn’t quite so sure about a good performance,” he said. “We got a performance, and we got a result, but I have to say Coventry made it really difficult for us.”
Moyes was more enthusiastic about Barry, whose double took him to 10 goals in all competitions this season, already surpassing his total of eight last term.
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“He can smile at me now and say I told you so and that’s good,” Moyes said. “We always liked him, and we want him to keep scoring.”
The Everton manager also praised his team’s response after Yann Gboho had given Coventry the lead, although he felt the opening goal should have been prevented.
Moyes responds to controversial decisions
Coventry were unhappy with several refereeing decisions, including an apparent hair pull involving James Tarkowski and a possible handball during Barry’s second goal.
Moyes said he had not seen the Tarkowski incident and did not believe the ball had struck Barry’s hand. He nevertheless acknowledged that some decisions could have gone Coventry’s way.
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The victory came in Moyes’ 592nd match as Everton manager, equalling Harry Catterick’s club record. Everton head into the international break with three successive victories, although Moyes’ post-match comments suggested he was more satisfied with the points than the overall display.
Read our Everton 3-1 Coventry match report and player ratings for more from Friday’s win.
For all the latest Everton news, reaction and analysis, visit our Everton news page.**
Gary Gowers is a sports journalist and the editor of Read Everton, where he leads daily coverage of Everton news, transfers and analysis. He also writes about Manchester City for Read Man City and motorsport for Read Motorsport. A former accountant, he became a freelance writer in 2011 and has written for BBC Sport and Metro.
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