Everton advanced to the third round of the Carabao Cup after securing a 4-0 victory over Preston North End. The match, held at Deepdale, saw Thierno Barry net a hat-trick, contributing significantly to the win.
Manager David Moyes made three changes to the squad that had previously defeated Crystal Palace. Jarrad Branthwaite and Hayden Hackney were rested, while Jake O’Brien was named on the bench. Harrison Armstrong maintained his position in the starting lineup against his former loan club, following a strong performance on Saturday. Tyler Dibling also started, replacing Tyrique George.
First Half Action and Opening Goal
The visitors began with clear intent. Early in the match, Ndiaye was fouled, leading to a free-kick from Garner. Dibling attempted to advance down the right flank but was dispossessed, with the ball moving to the left where Ndiaye cut inside and took a shot that was deflected for a corner. Despite a lively start from Everton, Preston responded with physical challenges.
Ndiaye later passed to Dibling, whose shot was aimed directly at Nicholls. The combination of Ndiaye and Barry tried to penetrate the middle but were crowded out, resulting in another corner. After a fast-paced opening, Everton sought to control the game more from deep. Armstrong made an impressive forward drive, though Ndiaye committed a foul. The first 15 minutes saw no breakthrough, leading to a more measured approach from Everton. Röhl overlapped, and his cross was punched away by Nicholls, which led to Preston‘s first attempt on goal, handled by Pickford.
Barry was played through but was unable to overcome the defender or the goalkeeper, failing to strike the ball with force. Everton struggled to penetrate Preston‘s defence, with Mykolenko eventually crossing the ball to Dibling, whose shot was off target. Preston advanced again without creating a significant threat, and Everton resumed their attack. Keane attempted a long-range shot from 40 yards, which was also off target.
A clear opportunity emerged when Mykolenko made a run, spotted by Dewsbury-Hall with a pass over the top. Mykolenko then set up Thierno Barry, who scored the opening goal in the 26th minute. Dewsbury-Hall attempted to create another chance, but his direct approach was blocked. A promising move down the right side involving a one-two collapsed when Dewsbury-Hall tripped while attempting to score a second goal. Rohl held his ground against Vukcevic, stalling Preston‘s efforts. Ndiaye‘s through-ball for Barry was overhit. Dewsbury-Hall‘s approach play set up Barry, but his pass back to the Preston goalkeeper was weak. Dibling‘s shot was blocked, and Rohl missed a forward ball from Preston, with Leroy‘s subsequent shot going over Pickford‘s goal. Dibling, struggling against Vukcevic, switched to the left and hit a shot against the post. Small delivered a cross that required defending, and Everton ended the first half with a one-goal lead.
Second Half Performance and Barry’s Hat-trick
Preston restarted the second half, but Everton quickly moved the ball forward, though Barry‘s shot from long range was poor. A rare error from Armstrong caused a brief moment of concern for Everton‘s defence. However, they countered, and Dewsbury-Hall‘s shot went straight to Nicholls. Garner‘s corner did not result in a goal. Ndiaye lost possession in midfield, forcing Everton to defend again. Barry attempted a run but went down under pressure in the area, earning a corner that was headed clear, and Mykolenko‘s long-range shot went over the bar.
Ndiaye created space and headed the ball to Barry, whose effort went wide. Ndiaye‘s attempt to be overly clever in the Preston area resulted in losing the ball. With 55 minutes played, Everton held a narrow lead and were not fully controlling the game. Armstrong brilliantly stole the ball, but Garner‘s shot went wide. Armstrong delivered a cross, but Barry could not connect with his head. Barry also had a pass stolen by a Preston player.
Ndiaye eventually made his way through, releasing the ball to Dewsbury-Hall, who spun and shot from a narrow angle. Nicholls punched the ball out, and it rebounded off Thierno Barry into the net for Everton‘s second goal in the 59th minute. Tarkowski was dispossessed on the wing, requiring Everton to close ranks. Lang executed an acrobatic bicycle kick that Pickford saved. Ndiaye had an opportunity to run on goal but failed to shoot, with Valentin making a saving block.
Barry passed a bouncing ball back to Dewsbury-Hall, who could not direct his shot effectively. Despite some inaccurate shooting from Everton, Thierno Barry walked the ball into the net in the 70th minute after Dewsbury-Hall found Johnson with a pass, completing Barry‘s hat-trick. Less than two minutes later, Brennan Johnson took the ball himself after a pass from Barry, and his low shot beat Nicholls in the 72nd minute.
Post-Match Details
Preston made several changes and attempted to score, with George‘s curler going wide after some ball control. Aznou and George combined without posing a significant threat. Preston could not threaten from a free-kick. Armstrong had a chance to run forward, but his finish was wide of the far post. Ultimately, Everton‘s performance secured a 4-0 victory and a place in the third round of the Carabao Cup.
The confirmed lineup for Everton included Pickford, Röhl, Tarkowski, Keane, Mykolenko, Garner (replaced by Johnson in the 64th minute), Armstrong, Dewsbury-Hall (replaced by Alcaraz in the 81st minute), Dibling (replaced by Patterson in the 64th minute), Ndiaye (replaced by George in the 81st minute), and Barry (replaced by Aznou in the 81st minute). The unused substitutes were Travers, Beto, O’Brien, and Foster.
For Preston North End, the starting lineup featured Nicholls, Valentin, Storey, Gibson, Vukcevic, Thompson, Leroy, Small, Moran, Burgzorg, and Erabi. Their substitutes included Iversen, Clarke, Lindsay, Devine, McCann, Lang, Hughes, Gryba, and Nolan. Harvey Foster, who had impressed during pre-season, was included in Everton‘s senior squad for a competitive match for the first time.
Source: toffeeweb.com