Everton reached the Carabao Cup third round on Wednesday with a convincing 4-0 win over Championship side Preston North End at Deepdale.
Thierno Barry starred for the Toffees. The French striker scored a superb hat-trick before setting up Brennan Johnson for Everton’s fourth goal.
The result sends Everton into the third round, where they will face Wolves at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Everton have not reached the fourth round of the League Cup since the 2023/24 season. David Moyes will now hope his team can maintain their strong start to the campaign.
Moyes pleased with attacking display
Everton manager David Moyes praised his team’s attacking performance after the final whistle.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Moyes admitted that the match became more comfortable than he expected.
He also felt Everton could have shown more composure during the first half. However, he was delighted to see his players finish with four goals.
“I’m really pleased we scored four goals,” Moyes said.
The Everton manager also praised Barry after his impressive display.
Moyes explained that he had challenged the striker to improve after his first season in England. He believes Barry can continue to develop as he gains more Premier League experience.
“I don’t think it’s easy for anybody coming to the Premier League in their first season, especially centre-forwards,” Moyes said.
Barry’s hat-trick should give him a major confidence boost. It could also increase competition for places in Everton’s attack.
Heckingbottom frustrated by defensive struggles
Preston manager Paul Heckingbottom expressed his disappointment with his team’s defensive performance.
The Championship side struggled to contain Everton once the Toffees found their rhythm. Barry’s second goal proved particularly damaging.
Heckingbottom said Preston planned to make substitutions before Everton scored again. That goal changed the match and increased the pressure on the home side.
“The goals after that were disappointing,” Heckingbottom admitted.
He also highlighted Preston’s lack of attacking options on the bench. The manager said his team needed more attacking changes to relieve pressure on the defence.
Preston had several defenders and midfielders among their substitutes. Heckingbottom believes that limited his ability to change the game.
“We need attacking changes so we can keep the pressure on, and that’s a problem for us at the minute,” he said.
The defeat leaves Preston with plenty to improve before their next fixture. Everton, meanwhile, can take confidence from an impressive cup performance.
