Thierno Barry: Everton Striker's Revival From Nightmare Debut Season

Thierno Barry Has Matched Last Season's Goal Tally in Just 12 Everton Games

Thierno Barry scored the only goal of Everton's 1-0 Premier League win at Newcastle on Monday night — his second strike against the Magpies in five days — taking him to eight goals in just 12 games this season, the same total he reached across 41 appearances in a difficult debut campaign.

Competition: Premier League
Venue: St James' Park
Result: Newcastle 0-1 Everton, Barry scoring a close-range tap-in
Barry's record this season: Eight goals in 12 games, matching his 41-game haul from last term
Top scorer comparison: Only Erling Haaland (13 goals in all competitions) has more among Premier League players than Barry's eight
Context: Barry is Everton's only recognised senior striker after Beto's transfer to Fiorentina

What was said

"I was working a lot during the summer and now we can see the result."
— Thierno Barry, speaking to Sky Sports after his goal at Newcastle

"The season is long but I'm happy to help the team with my goals. I want to enjoy more than last season and I enjoyed my celebration so I am happy."
— Thierno Barry on his form and Monday's celebration, which began with a knee slide and ended with dance moves

"We know Barry misses chances, but we also know this season he keeps going and he scores goals."
— Jamie Carragher, speaking to Sky Sports

"We're thrilled he's getting the goals because you need your centre-forward to score. He has missed a few but thankfully tonight he was on the spot to get the goal."
— David Moyes, Everton manager

"There was a clear foul on Fabian Schar."
— Matthias Jaissle, Newcastle manager, speaking to BBC Sport about the build-up to Barry's goal

Barry's own words place the emphasis on unseen work. A summer of graft has turned a forward who managed just one shot across his first 16 Everton games into the side's most reliable supply of goals — a turnaround he framed simply as "the result" of his preparation.

Carragher and Moyes struck a similar note from opposite angles. Carragher accepted the wastefulness that has followed Barry — the striker scuffed a one-on-one against Newcastle after latching onto Jarrad Branthwaite's flick-on — but pointed to a forward who keeps coming back for more. Moyes, meanwhile, was candid about the misses while stressing the relief of a centre-forward delivering the decisive moment.

The numbers

Eight goals in 41 appearances for Barry last season (his debut campaign)
Eight goals in 12 games this season — the same tally in 29 fewer competitive games
13 goals for Erling Haaland in all competitions — the only Premier League player with more than Barry this season
One shot across Barry's first 16 Everton games
24 big chances recorded by Everton before Monday's match
15 of those 24 (62.5%) involved Barry — the highest proportion of any Premier League player for his team
0.995 xG for Barry's goal against Newcastle, a two-yard tap-in

The chance-involvement figure is striking. Barry is not just Everton's finisher; he is the player their attacking structure is built to find. Almost two-thirds of his side's big chances this season have run through him, which explains why the misses carry weight and why the goals carry more.

From nightmare debut to Everton's main man

Thierno Barry arrived last summer from Villarreal and endured a punishing introduction to English football: one shot across his first 16 Everton appearances and, by last month, a public admission of the mental toll. Barry posted a video of himself breaking down during a private training session last season. Monday's knee slide, followed by his dance moves at St James' Park, offered the contrast he wanted to show.

The structural shift matters as much as the form. With Beto having transferred to Fiorentina, Barry is Everton's only recognised senior striker — indisputably indispensable to David Moyes. That status would normally invite pressure; instead Barry has converted it into his best scoring run since joining the club. The 24-year-old Frenchman is on a run of form few forwards in the division can match.

The Newcastle goal, contested by Matthias Jaissle over a supposed foul on Fabian Schar in the build-up, was a tap-in from two yards with an xG of 0.995 — the sort of chance he had been scuffing earlier in the same match, when he made a poor connection with Branthwaite's flick-on. Moyes's phrasing — "he has missed a few but thankfully tonight he was on the spot" — accepts the trade-off. Carragher's is even blunter: the misses are real, the goals are too.

Barry's defining quality this season is not elegance but relentlessness. His big-chance involvement of 62.5% shows an Everton side organised to funnel opportunities to one striker; his eight goals show what happens when that striker keeps arriving. The wider picture is a forward who, at 24, has turned a solitary shot in 16 games into the productivity of a top-half No 9 — and done it as the only senior option on the books.

Talking points

Should Barry's contentious goal have stood? Jaissle called it a "clear foul on Fabian Schar" — Newcastle fans will feel the win was handed to Everton by a marginal call.
Everton have no senior striker behind Barry after Beto's departure. Is one forward enough cover for a club with ambitions beyond survival this term?
Barry has been involved in 15 of Everton's 24 big chances. Is that evidence of a well-drilled attack or a side over-reliant on one finisher?
Carragher's "keeps going" verdict may be a compliment, but wastefulness in front of goal could still cost Everton points in tighter games than this one.

What happens next

Barry's form makes him the obvious starter for Everton's next Premier League fixture, and the focus now turns to whether he can sustain a scoring rate that has already equalled a full season's output in a fraction of the games. Newcastle, meanwhile, must respond to a second defeat by Everton in five days. With Barry as the only recognised senior striker, Moyes carries risk every time his No 9 steps out — but on this evidence the gamble is paying off.

Frequently asked questions

How many goals has Thierno Barry scored for Everton this season?

Barry has eight goals in 12 games this season, matching the eight he scored in 41 appearances last term. Only Erling Haaland has more among Premier League players in all competitions.

Did Everton beat Newcastle, and who scored the goal?

Yes — Everton won 1-0 at St James' Park on Monday night, with Thierno Barry scoring a close-range tap-in. Newcastle manager Matthias Jaissle said there was "a clear foul on Fabian Schar" in the build-up.

Is Thierno Barry Everton's only senior striker?

Yes. Following Beto's transfer to Fiorentina, Barry is Everton's only recognised senior striker. David Moyes said he was "thrilled" Barry is getting the goals.