Thierno Barry secures point for Everton against Leeds

Everton's Thierno Barry celebrates scoring a late equaliser against Leeds. He has scored four goals in his last five games. Pic: Peter Byrne/PA Wire.

Premier League: Everton 1 Leeds 1

Everton striker Thierno Barry continued to justify manager David Moyes’ faith by equalising in the 1-1 draw at home to Leeds to prevent a mutiny at Hill Dickinson Stadium.

The volume of boos at half-time with the hosts trailing to James Justin’s goal indicated the level of annoyance fans had with another lacklustre display, but that would easily have been eclipsed had the Frenchman not maintained his recent hot streak.

Having not scored in his first 18 Premier League matches, the 23-year-old now has four in his last five, including the winner at high-flying Aston Villa last time out.

Despite having the more experienced Beto on the bench, Moyes kept Barry on the field despite the situation looking increasingly dire and he was rewarded when the striker nipped in front of Sebastiaan Bornauw to clip Idrissa Gueye’s cross into the roof of the net in the 76th minute.

The release of frustration around the stadium was palpable but, had Gueye’s shot from the edge of the area gone in off the crossbar instead of rebounding away, the half-time jeers would have been long forgotten.

Everton’s record of winning only once at home since November is largely responsible for the frustration of fans, who have seen only four league victories at home all season.

The draw was a blow to Leeds, who were hoping to maintain the gap to relegation rivals Nottingham Forest and West Ham, who both won at the weekend.

But one defeat in their last 10 league matches has at least given them a platform, although they too will have wanted a better return than three wins in that spell.

Everton may have feared the return of their former striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who left them in the summer, but the closest he came was hitting the post from five yards.

Instead it was Justin, scoring his first Premier League goal since September 2024, who made the 28th-minute breakthrough after taking advantage of some slack defending.

Jayden Bogle and Anton Stach combined down the right, a profitable avenue throughout the first half, and although Calvert-Lewin could not get a touch on the cross, Justin arrived at the far post to blast home after Dwight McNeil failed to track his run.

Everton complained Iliman Ndiaye, together with Gueye back after winning the Africa Cup of Nations with Senegal, had been fouled earlier in the move but they were clutching at straws.

Then Calvert-Lewin’s instinctive first-time poke rebounded off the post but the best Everton could muster in response was James Garner slicing an optimistic left-footed shot into the side-netting and the boos quickly followed.

Moyes’ response was to switch to a back three, meaning a first appearance of the season for Jarrad Branthwaite after hamstring surgery, with a fit-again Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall replacing McNeil.

It prompted an improvement with Ndiaye’s attempt blocked by Bornauw and Barry’s shot bringing the best save of the game from Karl Darlow.

However, the Leeds goalkeeper could only watch as the Frenchman’s close-range effort flashed past him for the equaliser.

EVERTON: Pickford, Patterson (Dibling 71'), Tarkowski, O'Brien, Mykolenko, Gueye, Garner, McNeil (Dewsbury-Hall HT), Armstrong (Branthwaite HT), Ndiaye, Barry (Beto 89')
LEEDS: Darlow, Rodon, Bornauw (Buonanotte 85'), Struijk, Bogle, Ampadu, Gruev (Tanaka 66'), Justin, Stach (Longstaff 85'), Aaronson (Okafor 85'), Calvert-Lewin. 

Referee: Simon Hooper (Wiltshire)