Thierno Barry continued his blistering run of form on Friday night, netting a brace to inspire Everton to a 3-1 victory over Coventry City at the Hill Dickinson Stadium. The result marks a remarkable turnaround for the Blues, who have now secured three wins in just eight days, propelling them to fifth place in the Premier League table.
However, the encounter was mired in controversy, centered largely on the Frenchman’s decisive second goal. With the score level, Barry bundled the ball over the line to put Everton ahead, an action that appeared to involve a touch from his hand. Despite the protests from the Coventry players, the goal was upheld after a VAR review.
When questioned about the incident by Sky Sports post-match, a jovial Barry brushed off the allegations, stating: “Goal is goal! So I’m happy. I have two goals today so I’m happy.”
The Premier League Match Centre later clarified the decision on social media, confirming that the officials had deemed the contact incidental. “The referee’s call of goal to Everton was checked and confirmed by VAR – with it deemed that Barry did not commit a handball offence,” the statement read, quoting the officials as saying the contact was on the player’s side rather than his hand.
For Coventry manager Frank Lampard, the evening was a frustrating one. Returning to face his former club, the Sky Blues boss felt his side were on the wrong end of several key officiating decisions. Beyond the disputed second goal, Lampard pointed to a first-half incident involving James Tarkowski, who avoided punishment for an apparent hair pull on Caleb Yirenkyi inside the penalty area.
“Big decisions affected the game, clearly,” a frustrated Lampard told BBC Sport. “The VAR ones—VAR looked at them. The [Tarkowski] hair pull on Caleb, I think he gets contact on the edge of the box which is a penalty. Then the second goal for them comes off the player’s hand. If you’re going to check the angles, there is an angle where it flicks in off his hand. I’ve seen a conclusive angle so I can disagree.”
The match had started promisingly for the visitors, with Yann Gboho breaking the deadlock early in the second half after Coventry had dominated the opening 45 minutes. Yet, Everton’s newfound resilience proved too much to overcome. Barry’s quickfire double turned the tide, and he later turned provider, setting up Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall to seal the 3-1 victory and cap off a dominant second-half display.
While Lampard remains left to rue “what might have been,” Everton manager and fans alike will be content to focus on a vital three points that have firmly established their side as a top-five contender in this season’s campaign.
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