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

Thierno Barry walked off with the match ball and a statement performance as Everton ripped through Preston North End to book a Carabao Cup third-round tie at home to Wolves.

The forward’s first hat-trick for the club, backed up by Brennan Johnson’s long-awaited first Everton goal, turned what might have been an awkward night into a comfortable, almost swaggering 4-0 win.

Moyes goes strong – and gets his reward

Back at a club he once called home, David Moyes did not treat this as a gentle rotation exercise. The Everton manager, who spent four years in charge of Preston, made only three changes from the opening Premier League win over Crystal Palace and his decision set the tone.

Everton started on the front foot and stayed there. They pinned Preston back, moved the ball quickly, and gave Barry the kind of service strikers dream about.

The breakthrough felt inevitable. It arrived on 25 minutes.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall split Preston open with a superb pass, Vitalii Mykolenko raced on to it and whipped the ball across goal. Barry, alive to the moment, arrived to tap in and open his account for the night. Simple finish, ruthless move.

Preston’s brief flicker of hope

Paul Heckingbottom, still searching for a first league win of the season after two winless Championship outings, rang the changes – seven of them – from the defeat by Wolves. For a short spell, it looked like the gamble might just give Preston a foothold.

Leo Leroy found space in the box and had a clear sight of goal. He dragged his effort off target. A big chance, wasted.

The warning seemed to jolt Everton. Tyler Dibling then clipped the post at the other end as the visitors briefly threatened to turn this into a contest, but the Premier League side always carried more precision and menace.

Iliman Ndiaye, busy and inventive between the lines, teased in a superb cross that begged to be finished. Barry met it but glanced his header just wide. It felt like a let-off for Preston. It was really just a delay.

Barry takes over

The pressure finally told again just before the hour.

Dewsbury-Hall unleashed a fierce strike from the edge of the area, Lee Nicholls could only parry and Barry reacted faster than anyone, snapping onto the rebound to steer it into the net for his second. Right place, right instincts, 2-0.

Preston tried to respond. Callum Lang forced Jordan Pickford into action with an ambitious overhead kick, a rare moment that had the away end on its feet. It was as close as they came to changing the story.

Everton simply went back up a gear.

On 70 minutes, a sweeping move carved Preston open once more. Substitute Johnson, eager to make his mark after his summer move from Crystal Palace, drove into space on the right and delivered a low cross. Barry timed his run, turned the ball home, and sealed his hat-trick with the confidence of a striker in form.

Johnson breaks his drought

By then, the tie was done. Everton, though, were not.

Johnson, without a goal since November, finally snapped his drought with 18 minutes remaining. This time the roles were reversed: Barry slipped him through with a neat pass and Johnson drilled a low finish into the net, a clean strike that underlined Everton’s dominance and his own relief.

Barry now sits on four goals for the season, adding this treble to his strike in the 2-0 win over Palace. The only blemish on his night came late on as he appeared to pick up a knock before being substituted, a moment that will have Everton’s staff watching closely in the coming days.

For now, though, the story is clear. Everton have a striker in rhythm, a new signing finally off the mark, and a home tie against Wolves on the horizon. If this is the standard they set in August, how far can they push this cup run?