The second match of a doubleheader between Newcastle and Everton was another test for the Toffees as they made the trek to the northeast for their Premier League match at St. James Park. Everton’s league cup victory just five days ago was arguably their best all-round performance this season and put them into the quarterfinals. As for the Premier league, only one point separated the teams, and the winner had the chance to jump into seventh place.
Team News
Jack Grealish remained out of Everton’s squad for a second
match but Jarrad Branthwaite returned after serving his concussion protocol. With the England international restored to the heart of defence, Jake O’Brien moved to right-back with Merlin Rohl pushing up to right-wing. Meanwhile, in midfield, Harrison Armstrong, who had started every Premier League match so far this season, was restored despite Hayden Hackney netting his first goal for the Blues on Thursday.
Match Report
Before the match kicked off at St. James’ Park, a moment of silence was observed for the fallen ahead of Remembrance Sunday. Once underway, Everton started brightly with neat passing sequences, though early chances went begging as James Garner shot wide and Thierno Barry was repeatedly caught offside. Newcastle struggled to find any attacking rhythm, drawing the ire of their home supporters, while Jordan Pickford received a chorus of boos from the Geordies. Defensively, James Tarkowski and Jarrad Branthwaite stood firm for the Toffees, snuffing out efforts from Joelinton and Harvey Barnes.
As the half progressed, Everton began to dominate territory and carve out the better openings. Barry missed a close-range shot from Jarrad Branthwaite’s knockdown and later failed to connect with an overhead cross from O’Brien. Tyrique George and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall also threatened in the final third, with Dan Burn picking up a yellow card for a cynical foul on Barry near the penalty area. Despite periods of frantic play and physical duels, neither side managed to register a shot on target during a scoreless opening twenty minutes.
Everton finished the first half firmly on the front foot, creating two golden opportunities in the dying moments. Dewsbury-Hall delivered a dangerous curling cross that O’Brien narrowly missed poking into an open net, and right before the whistle, a cutback found Harrison Armstrong, who leaned back and blazed his shot wide. With the deadlock intact at halftime, the Toffees headed into the break wondering how they hadn’t capitalized on their sustained late pressure.
The second half opened under heavy rain but that did not slow Everton down. An early free kick was taken quickly and Tyrique George’s low strike was mismanaged by the Newcastle goalkeeper. Thierno Barry pounced on it to slam home the rebound for his eighth goal of the season. Following a VAR review that cleared both a potential foul and offside, the travelling Everton supporters erupted.
As Newcastle pushed higher up the pitch to get an equaliser, spaces opened up for Everton on the counter, with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Jake O’Brien forcing sharp saves from Lukáš Horníček. Newcastle then introduced Wissa and Steur, sparking a major shift in energy. Anthony Elanga nearly levelled the match when his shot hovered on the line, but goal-line technology indicated it had not crossed, allowing James Tarkowski to clear it into the stands. Frustration grew among the home crowd as penalty appeals at both ends—Lewis Hall going down for Newcastle and Fabian Schär’s challenge on Barry for Everton—were dismissed by referee John Brooks.
David Moyes brought on Michael Keane to shore up the defense alongside tactical switches from both sides for the final ten minutes. Jordan Pickford produced a heroic late display, denying a dangerous Touré cross before pulling off an incredible foot save on a deflected Wissa strike through Tarkowski’s legs. Everton expertly managed the eight minutes of stoppage time by retaining possession, driving Newcastle fans to the exits. Frustration boiled over for the host side in the dying moments as Jacob Ramsey picked up two yellow cards in quick succession for fouls on Hackney and Armstrong, earning a red card as the final whistle sealed Everton’s hard-fought victory.
Everton’s Man of the Match
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall: It seemed that everything that Everton did going forward stemmed from the mazy midfielder. He worked tirelessly on and off the ball and we deserved the clean sheet but it would have been a no score draw if Dewsbury-Hall was not on the pitch. 48 passes, 3 shots, 75 touches and more than 12km ran. He had a bit of a dip for a couple of games but he was immense tonight.
Instant Reaction
A first away win since February for the boys in blue and a third league victory at St. James’ Park in a row. There was a lot of talk about Newcastle being up for this game but we didn’t let them into it. The long journey home for the travelling Evertonians would be a happy one. Up to seventh and Coventry up next. We controlled the majority of the match and when Newcastle tried to get back in it, the well organized back line held firm. It should also be said that the foot save from Pickford was incredible.
When Scharr cleared the ball and took down Thierno Barry, there was a sense of injustice as the defender had kicked right through the leg of Barry before contact was made on the ball. Not unlike the Arsenal match last season when Barry went down after Saliba kicked his leg. I expect an apology from the league by Thursday.
For all of the complaining about Thierno Barry’s finishing, tonight he scored his eighth goal which equals his output for the entirety of last season. He is a young striker who is getting the job done. Johnson provided nothing when Barry was withdrawn but as long as we keep Barry fit there should be no problems. Of course, an addition in January will be some insurance but he is doing the job!
