Everton recovered from a goal down to defeat Coventry City 3-1 on Saturday, with Thierno Barry scoring twice and setting up a third, according to Sky Sports. The match at Goodison Park was overshadowed by three video review decisions that went against the visitors, who are managed by Frank Lampard.
Yann Gboho had given Coventry the lead early in the second half before Barry's two back-post headers and an assist for Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall turned the game around. The result lifts Everton to fifth in the table, above Liverpool for at least 48 hours, while Coventry remain two points clear of the relegation zone and could drop into the bottom three by the end of the weekend.
Why it matters
The win continues Barry's strong run of form. Sky Sports reports the striker, Everton's only fit senior forward, took his season tally to ten goals with the brace. His equaliser and winner came in similar fashion, both headers at the back post, before he turned provider for Dewsbury-Hall's late clincher.
For Coventry, the defeat leaves them hovering just above the drop zone, and Lampard was blunt afterwards about the role officiating played in the outcome. The three reviews — a first-half hair pull, a second-half challenge on Taiwo Awoniyi, and a possible handball in Barry's second goal — all went Everton's way.
Lampard disputes all three calls
The first flashpoint came before the interval. James Tarkowski appeared to pull the hair of Coventry midfielder Caleb Yirenkyi inside the penalty area. According to Sky Sports, VAR official Tim Wood reviewed the incident and cleared Tarkowski of any offence.
Lampard said he believed the rules were clear on the matter. "He's pulling on his hair and [Yirenkyi] can't get his momentum to jump," Lampard said. "I think it's a foul and a penalty and they decided no."
The second incident arrived after the break when Awoniyi went down under a challenge from Vitalii Mykolenko. VAR checked the contact and ruled the foul occurred outside the box. Lampard disagreed, arguing that Awoniyi's knee was on the line of the area, which he said should have meant a penalty.
Then came Barry's second goal, which Coventry felt involved a handball in the build-up. Sky Sports reports VAR found no conclusive camera angle showing the Everton forward handled the ball. The review official was heard saying the ball struck Barry's side rather than his hand, and the on-field decision of goal stood.
Lampard said he had studied the incident closely and believed the ball brushed Barry's fingers, though he accepted it was not clear enough for VAR to overturn. "When big decisions change games, they absolutely do," he said. "VAR is there for that and it didn't do its job."
Sky Sports pundits reviewing the match largely agreed with the on-field outcomes while acknowledging Coventry's frustration. One noted that the hair-pull and Awoniyi incidents could both have been given as penalties, but said the handball question was too marginal for a clear and obvious error to be established.
Gboho's solo effort and Everton's response
The controversy should not obscure a fine individual goal from Gboho, who opened the scoring with his first for Coventry by dribbling past several challenges and finishing past Jordan Pickford. The lead lasted only four minutes before Barry headed in Dewsbury-Hall's cross at the back post.
Barry's second, the contested one, arrived soon after from a similar position. He then slipped a precise pass through to Dewsbury-Hall, who scored from a narrow angle to settle the match. The Everton midfielder had been left out of Thomas Tuchel's England squad the previous day.
Everton manager Sean Dyche, whose side were without several attacking options, said the performance did not reach the level of recent displays but welcomed the points. "Getting three points in the Premier League, you take it every way you can," he said. "It keeps us near the top end, not the bottom end."
What to watch next
Everton will look to hold their top-five position when the weekend's remaining fixtures are completed, while Coventry face a nervous wait on results elsewhere as they try to stay out of the relegation places. The Premier League has not commented on whether the Tarkowski hair-pull incident was reviewed under its updated guidance on holding offences issued this summer.
