Thierno Barry's Hat-Trick Leads Everton to Victory Over Preston in Carabao Cup

Thierno Barry walked off with the match ball and a statement. His first Everton hat-trick, a 4-0 dismantling of Preston North End, sent the Premier League side strolling into the Carabao Cup third round and booked a home tie against Wolves.

On a night that could easily have drifted into routine cup business, Barry turned it into his stage. Brennan Johnson, the summer signing still searching for rhythm, finally found the net as well. David Moyes’ side looked sharp, hungry and, at times, merciless.

Moyes goes strong, Everton go straight for the throat

Back at a club where he once built his reputation, Moyes did not treat Preston lightly. The former North End manager made only three changes from the opening-weekend league win over Crystal Palace, and Everton played like a team in full flow rather than one rotating through the gears.

They took control immediately. The tempo was high, the passing crisp, the intent obvious. Preston, still winless from their first two Championship matches and heavily altered with seven changes by Paul Heckingbottom after defeat to Wolves, were pinned back from the first whistle.

The breakthrough felt inevitable, and when it came, it was simple but ruthless.

In the 25th minute, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall split the Preston defence with a superb pass to release Vitalii Mykolenko down the left. The full-back drove into space and drilled the ball across the face of goal. Barry arrived exactly where a No 9 should, timing his run and tapping home. One touch, one finish, one goal. Everton in front, and fully deserved.

Preston flicker, Everton tighten their grip

For a brief spell, Preston hinted at life. Heckingbottom’s reshaped side finally stepped up the pitch, and Leo Leroy had the kind of chance that can turn a cup tie on its head. He found space inside the area with a decent sight of goal – but dragged his effort off target. It was a moment that summed up Preston’s night: promising positions, no end product.

Tyler Dibling then clipped the post with a strike that had Jordan Pickford beaten, a reminder that Everton’s dominance did not make them untouchable. The warning signs were there.

The response from the Premier League side was to push harder.

Iliman Ndiaye, inventive and busy between the lines, whipped in a fine cross for Barry, who this time could only steer his header just wide. The move, though, underlined the pattern: Everton cutting through, Preston clinging on.

Barry doubles up, then takes the match ball

The pressure finally told again just before the hour.

Dewsbury-Hall, influential all evening, let fly with a fierce strike from the edge of the box. Preston goalkeeper Lee Nicholls could only push the ball back into danger. Barry reacted quicker than anyone, pouncing on the rebound and diverting it into the net for his second of the night.

At 2-0, the tie was effectively over. Everton were enjoying themselves now, shifting the ball with confidence, their front line smelling more goals.

Preston tried to respond. Callum Lang forced Pickford into action with an ambitious overhead kick, a moment of improvisation that briefly lifted the away end. It was as close as they would come to changing the story.

Because Barry wasn’t done.

On 70 minutes, Everton carved Preston open again with a slick move down the right. Substitute Brennan Johnson, eager to make an impact, burst into space and whipped a low cross into the box. Barry timed his run perfectly and turned the ball home to complete his hat-trick. Clinical, composed, and greeted with the roar of a crowd that knows it might be watching a breakout season in real time.

Johnson off the mark at last

Once Barry had his match ball, it was Johnson’s turn to step into the light.

The forward, signed from Crystal Palace in the summer and without a goal since November, has been waiting for a moment to reset his narrative. It arrived with 18 minutes left.

This time Barry turned provider, sliding a through ball into Johnson’s path. The finish was low, assured and straight into the net. No fuss, no hesitation. Just relief and a first Everton goal that had been a long time coming.

By then, Preston were beaten and knew it. Everton, though, kept their standards high, moving the ball with the same intensity that had opened the evening. The scoreline reflected the gulf in class and cohesion.

Barry’s rising tally, and a small concern

Barry now sits on four goals for the season, adding this treble to his strike in the 2-0 win over Palace. His movement, his instinct in the box, his understanding with those around him – all of it pointed to a forward in form and full of belief.

There was one minor cloud. Late on, he appeared to pick up a knock and was withdrawn before the final whistle. Everton will hope it is nothing more than a precaution, because on this evidence, their new No 9 is quickly becoming central to everything they want to be.

Next up in the Carabao Cup: Wolves at Goodison Park. If Barry is fit and firing, who would bet against him shaping that tie as well?