Everton Week in Review, Monday 9th November: Barry Brace Fires Everton to Fifth as Grealish Exile Rumbles on
What a week it's been for David Moyes' side, who took four points from a tricky-looking double header before thumping Coventry City to climb into the Premier League's top five. It started with a 1-0 Carabao Cup-style follow-up at St James' Park, where Thierno Barry's solitary strike saw off Newcastle United for a second time in four days and lifted Everton to seventh in the table (Read Everton) (Liverpool Echo). The performance earned widespread praise, with Jordan Pickford handed an 8/10 and not a single player rated below 7/10 by the Liverpool Echo (Liverpool Echo), while ToffeeWeb hailed a "hugely accomplished performance" on a wet night in the North East (ToffeeWeb). Moyes himself spoke of a "deserved win" and a continuing feelgood factor around Hill Dickinson Stadium (EvertonFC.com), and even the national media joined in, with pundits sending a blunt warning that Grealish needs to sort himself out if he wants back in (Liverpool Echo). There was late drama on Wearside too, with Barry leaving Newcastle's Fabian Schar bloodied in a coming-together that was cleared by VAR (Liverpool Echo), and Moyes suggesting afterwards that the Frenchman "could have had 15 or 16 goals" given his chances this season (Liverpool Echo).
Everton kept the momentum going three days later with a 3-1 comeback win over Frank Lampard's newly-promoted Coventry City at Hill Dickinson Stadium, Yann Gboho having given the visitors a shock lead before Barry struck twice and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall added a third (Sky Sports) (BBC Sport). It was Barry's tenth goal of the season and he spoke to the club's media about his delight at the brace (EvertonFC.com), while Dewsbury-Hall sent what the Echo described as a "clear message" to England boss Thomas Tuchel with his display (Liverpool Echo). The win moved the Blues up to fifth in the Premier League, with Moyes admitting afterwards that his squad may lack the depth to sustain a serious push for Europe despite his ambitions in that direction (Read Everton). Lampard was left frustrated, telling BBC Sport that "big decisions" had gone against his Coventry side, with two penalty shouts waved away by VAR either side of half-time, including one involving a hair pull on James Tarkowski (BBC Sport). Jarrad Branthwaite also spoke after the game, firing a message at Everton's doubters and praising Barry's form (Liverpool Echo), and Moyes equalled a piece of club history, with talkSPORT reporting his 592nd game in charge across two spells matches a tally set by a legendary former Everton boss (talkSPORT).
The big off-field story all week remained Jack Grealish's absence. The Manchester City loanee was dropped from the matchday squad for Thursday's Carabao Cup win over Newcastle after what was described as a breach of club discipline, and he has not featured since, missing both Newcastle games and the Coventry win (Liverpool Echo) (TeamTalk). Moyes has repeatedly left the door open for a return, telling reporters there's no reason Grealish can't reignite his Everton career, though TeamTalk reported the club are "hugely frustrated and annoyed" with him and that a decision has been reached on how to handle his loan (Sports Mole) (Liverpool Echo). Royal Blue Mersey noted Grealish was back in training with the squad for the Coventry game but not part of the matchday group (Royal Blue Mersey), while the Liverpool Echo explored how Moyes' relationship with the winger could be key to ending the stand-off, quoting the suggestion that it's not his first rodeo when it comes to man-managing unsettled stars (Liverpool Echo). Opinion was mixed elsewhere, with a poll asking whether Everton should consider ending the loan in January (Liverpool Echo), and an ex-Arsenal player quoted as saying Grealish is "at a crossroads" (Liverpool Echo).
On the international front, Jordan Pickford, Branthwaite and James Garner were all named in Thomas Tuchel's England squad for this month's Nations League fixtures against Croatia and Spain (Read Everton), with James Tarkowski publicly backing a team-mate for a maiden call-up (EvertonFC.com). Dewsbury-Hall narrowly missed out, with Tuchel confirming he was "very close" to selection (ToffeeWeb).
Away from team news, there's plenty happening behind the scenes. TeamTalk reported that the Friedkin Group are sifting through early interest in a possible sale, with US-based private equity consortiums said to be leading the field (TeamTalk), while Moyes is reportedly keen to extend his stay at the club despite the uncertainty (Read Everton). ToffeeWeb's Barry Horne warned the ownership situation could make it harder to attract a top managerial candidate down the line (ToffeeWeb). On the pitch for the kids, Everton's Under-21s beat Tamworth 3-2 in an entertaining cup clash (EvertonFC.com), with former favourite Tom Davies making his first appearance for the club in 1,304 days as a substitute (Liverpool Echo). Fans were also given fixture clarity, with the Carabao Cup quarter-final at Fleetwood Town confirmed for Tuesday 15 December and the Nottingham Forest Premier League fixture moved as a result (Read Everton).
This round-up is written with the help of AI, using only the day's headlines from the publishers credited above. Each point links to the original report — tap the source name to read it in full.
