In-form Thierno Barry leads Everton to a 3-1 victory over Coventry
Quickfire goals in the second half saw his side rally having gone a goal behind.
Thierno Barry’s hot streak fired Everton into the top five as they came from behind to beat Coventry 3-1.
Only Manchester City striker Erling Haaland (nine) has more league goals this season after the 24-year-old’s double turned things around against former Toffees manager Frank Lampard’s side.
Barry’s rawness can be a source of frustration, as evidenced in the first half when he wasted a good chance to shoot by failing to get the ball out from under his feet, but he came alive inside the six-yard box after the break.
Trailing to Yann Gboho’s first goal for the Sky Blues in only his second league appearance, the Frenchman headed an equaliser before doubling his tally by bundling in a scrappy effort from barely two yards out.
Lampard will argue his side should have had at least one penalty when James Tarkowski appeared to pull the hair of Caleb Yirenkyi with the score goalless in the first half, but their own defending left a lot to be desired.
Barry has now scored in three successive games for first time for Everton and only second time in his career.
He has six in his last seven in all competitions and 10 for the season – two more than he managed in his maiden campaign.
Somewhat prophetically boss David Moyes, equalling Harry Catterick’s record of 592 matches in charge, had said at his pre-match press conference that “Erling Haaland should be worried”.
And while realistically the Norway international will not be losing any sleep at the thought, Barry’s form as the club’s only recognised striker is proving a major boost.
With Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall chipping in with goals from midfield, scoring the third nine minutes from time, to add to his all-round creativity Moyes is squeezing everything out of his limited resources.
A third successive win also took the focus off the circus surrounding Jack Grealish.
He has been absent for the last four matches after being disciplined by the club for missing training, but he returned to Finch Farm earlier in the day to begin a tailored programme which is likely to see him return to the first-team fold after the international break.
A nondescript first half which began with Everton in the ascendency finished with the visitors in command and was notable mainly for Tarkowski’s tangle with Yirenkyi as they challenged for a cross.
His grasp of the midfielder’s hair was so slight it appeared to go unnoticed by everyone except the player and no action was taken by VAR.
Coventry’s second penalty appeal was checked by the officials but Vitalii Mykolenko’s challenge on Taiwo Awoniyi was ruled to have been made fractionally outside the box.
But when the ball bounced around the area after the visitors were able to play their way from right to left Gboho, surrounded by three Everton players, poked through a shot which appeared to take Pickford by surprise as it crept over the line.
The lead lasted four minutes as Barry barely had to get off the ground to head home Mykolenko’s cross after Jay Dasilva crumpled to the floor.
Within five minutes they were ahead as he again outjumped Dasilva at the far post to bundle home off his midriff with a panicked goalkeeper Carl Rushworth unable to keep it out.
Dewsbury-Hall made the result safe with a fine angled finish to displace Merseyside neighbours Liverpool in fifth place.