Bizarre Barry finish extends Everton's run
Everton climbed to fifth in the Premier League with a 1-0 victory over 10-man Ipswich Town, extending its unbeaten start to the season.
Thierno Barry grabbed the only goal of the game at Hill Dickinson Stadium, where Everton also had a goal contentiously disallowed and Ipswich saw Abdul Fatawu sent off.
The hosts laid an early marker after just five minutes as Harrison Armstrong threaded a lovely pass through for Brennan Johnson, who flashed wide of the target.
Ipswich was presented with a chance to strike as Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall turned over cheaply, but Jordan Pickford reacted sharply to keep out Emersonn's right-footed effort and spare his team-mate's blushes.
That miss proved costly moments later as Everton took the lead 11 minutes in, with James Tarkowski trying his luck from distance, only for the ball to deflect in off Barry.
The Tractor Boys nearly levelled as Exequiel Palacios cut through Everton's defence with a brilliant throughball for Julio Enciso, though Vitalii Mykolenko was on hand to make a vital block.
Chances continued to flow at both ends from there as Abdul Fatawu tested Pickford with an ambitious strike while Barry went close to doubling Everton’s advantage, sending a header agonisingly wide.
Moments before the break, the visitors squandered yet another inviting opportunity as Fatawu's bending cross found an unmarked Leif Davis at the back post, but the defender could only steer a tame effort wide.
Gary O'Neil's side returned from the break invigorated and twice came close through Enciso and Abdoul Ouattara, though Pickford stood firm on both occasions.
Barry appeared to have doubled the Toffees' advantage just before the hour mark, nodding Dewsbury-Hall's corner into the net, but after a video assistant referee (VAR) review, the goal was disallowed after Johnson was harshly judged to be interfering from an offside position.
The hosts were handed a boost in the 67th minute, however, when Ipswich were reduced to 10 men as Fatawu received a second yellow card for simulation.
With the man advantage, Everton surged forward in search of a second but squandered a host of late chances, with Dewsbury-Hall heading wide from the best of them. However, its profligacy did not prove costly in the end.
Everton boss David Moyes admitted after the match he was puzzled by the decision to disallow Barry's goal in the second half.
"The goalkeeper wouldn't have saved the header, but it was nothing like last year with blocking the goalkeepers," he said.
"There's no doubt Brennan was in an offside position but did he interfere with it?"
Ipswich boss Gary O'Neil, though, felt his team could have easily taken more away from Merseyside.
"I thought we had a good go today and the result is harsh on the lads," he said.
"We restricted Everton to not very much. Really unlucky with the goal, played some good stuff but lacked quality when we got in front of goal.
"The bigger picture today is what the lads managed to produce against a good Everton side. They were the better side for long periods with 10 men.
"If we keep playing like that we will give teams a game every week and we just need to keep repeating that."
