Thierno Barry now has four goals in two games after his first hat-trick in English football, and that is the obvious headline from Everton's 0-4 win at Preston. The more interesting part for David Moyes is what sat around it. Brennan Johnson made an immediate impact, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall drove the supply line, and Everton looked closer to a front line with some structure than a side relying on one good night.
Barry's burst changes the striker conversation
Barry's campaign is only two games old and has already yielded four goals. That needs to be handled carefully because another season-total framing around him has been reported elsewhere, but the short-term point is simple: his start has changed the discussion around Everton's centre-forward options.
The Deepdale treble was not just another productive evening. It was Barry's first hat-trick in English football, and it arrived in a 0-4 cup win that gave Everton's attack a different feel. Moyes has been open about how tough the adaptation was.
Speaking to independent.co.uk, he said: "He found it really difficult last year which it is for a lot of boys coming in from overseas and it is worse for centre-forwards."
That context matters here because Barry's verified league aggregate is still light. He has only one Premier League appearance in the season data, and his season rating stands at 6.9. So this should not be sold as proof that Everton have solved everything up front. It is better read as a strong sign that Barry can be the focal point when the service is right.
Moyes was also quick to keep standards high after the hat-trick. He told independent.co.uk: "I would still like more, you think of the one or two opportunities he had that he didn’t score, I am annoyed with those ones,"
That is a fair reaction. A hat-trick should not hide the missed chances, but it also should not hide how quickly Barry has forced himself into the main attacking debate.
Johnson and Dewsbury-Hall gave Everton more than finishing
Johnson's contribution made a big difference because it reduced the sense that this was Barry carrying the entire attack alone. He finished with a first goal and an assist for Everton, and the verified season aggregate shows only one appearance so far. That makes his impact immediate by any standard.
Moyes, quoted by independent.co.uk, said: "Everyone remembers Brennan at Tottenham. He got 15 or 16 goals one season. That was more like the Brennan Johnson people recognise and hopefully his confidence gets a big lift."
The transfer details around Johnson have not been presented consistently in coverage, so the safer takeaway is the football one: Everton added a forward who affected the game straight away. In a summer where supporters can get stuck on how deals were done, that part will do plenty to settle nerves.
Dewsbury-Hall may have been even more important to the shape of the side. He was pivotal to each of Barry's three goals, which is the clearest clue to what really worked at Preston. Everton have often had attacking spells built on crosses, scraps or isolated moments. This looked more connected.
His 8.7 rating is the highest in the provided Everton player group, and it fits what the match details suggested. When Dewsbury-Hall is the main source of chances and runners are moving ahead of him, Everton look more coherent. Vitaliy Mykolenko was part of the supporting cast too, but the central link was Dewsbury-Hall feeding Barry.
A good night, with a tougher read still to come
Everton should still be wary of overreading one result. Preston came into the tie with recent defeats in their form line, so this was not the hardest possible stress test for a new attacking setup. The club's verified 2025 league finish of 13th also offers a sensible baseline: any improvement in attack is welcome, but it has to hold up over more than one cup tie.
Still, encouraging signs count, especially when they involve more than one player. Barry supplied the goals, Johnson gave width and direct output, and Dewsbury-Hall looked like the passer who makes the whole thing breathe.
Everton's reward is a third-round meeting with Wolves, the same stage at which Wolves knocked them out last year.
FAQ
Will Thierno Barry start becoming Everton's first-choice striker now?
Barry's first hat-trick in English football has clearly changed the conversation. He now has four goals in two games, and Everton's 0-4 win at Preston suggested the side can build a more convincing front line around him. It is still early, but this performance gave David Moyes a strong case to keep backing him.
Why did Everton look more dangerous against Preston?
The main reason was the combination around Barry. Brennan Johnson produced a goal and an assist on his first Everton appearance in the verified season aggregate, while Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall was central to all three of Barry's goals. That made Everton's attack look more coherent than a one-man scoring burst.
How important was Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall in Everton's win over Preston?
He was arguably the key creator on the night. Dewsbury-Hall was pivotal to Barry's treble, and his 8.7 season rating is the strongest in the provided Everton player sample. For a team trying to get more out of its forwards, that supply line looks significant.
What did David Moyes say about Thierno Barry after the hat-trick?
Speaking to independent.co.uk, Moyes said Barry found it difficult last year and added that it is especially hard for centre-forwards arriving from overseas. He also made clear the hat-trick did not settle everything, saying he still wanted more because Barry passed up one or two other chances.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 3 outlets. How we work →
