By SCM Sport Reporter I Sunday, Sept 20, 2026
THIERNO BARRY proved Everton’s talisman once again as David Moyes’ men ground out a dramatic 1-0 Premier League victory over a fiery Ipswich Town side, but it was England hero Jordan Pickford and defender Jarrad Branthwaite who ultimately dragged the Toffees across the finish line in a tempestuous encounter.
In front of a raucous home crowd of 52,008 fans, the match erupted into life after just eleven minutes. Everton broke the deadlock through a moment of instinctive brilliance—and sheer fortune—from star forward Thierno Barry. Following a cleared corner from Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, veteran defender James Tarkowski launched a stinging 25-yard volley towards the target. Standing squarely in the flight line, Barry reacted with lightning speed, redirecting the ball with his chest into the opposite corner of the net, wrong-footing Ipswich stopper Christian Walton to claim his fifth goal of the campaign.
Despite trailing early, Gary O’Neil’s visiting Tractor Boys refused to lie down and repeatedly asked questions of Everton’s backline. Paraguayan sensation Julio Enciso looked lethal from distance, forcing England’s No. 1 Jordan Pickford into a pair of spectacular diving saves late in the first half. Ipswich’s Ghanaian winger Abdul Fatawu was a constant thorn down the right flank, even attempting an audacious 50-yard lob that had Pickford scrambling back to tip over the bar.
The second half delivered maximum drama, centered around referee Stuart Attwell and the VAR monitors. In the 59th minute, Barry thought he had doubled his tally when he rose highest to head home a Dewsbury-Hall corner off the far post. However, after a lengthier pitchside VAR review, Attwell controversially chalked off the goal, ruling that an offside Brennan Johnson had obstructed Walton’s line of sight and impaired his ability to save it—a call that left Moyes fuming on the touchline.
Just eight minutes later, the contest turned irreversibly in Everton’s favor. Fatawu, who had already been booked in the first half for hauling down Dewsbury-Hall, foolishly took a dive near the box in an attempt to win a free-kick against James Garner. Attwell brandished a second yellow card, reducing Ipswich to ten men in the 67th minute.
Everton pushed to kill off the game, with substitute Tyler Dibling forcing a sublime save from Walton and Johnson missing a golden opportunity late on.
However, the host’s profligacy made for an agonizing finish as ten-man Ipswich mounted a desperate late siege during seven nerve-shredding minutes of injury time. It required a heroic, goal-line block from Jarrad Branthwaite in the 96th minute to deny Issa Diop’s ferocious strike and seal all three points.
The match control was evenly contested across the 90 minutes, with Everton narrowly edging the overall share of possession at 53 percent compared to Ipswich Town’s 47 percent.
The Toffees dominated the attacking volume, bombarding the Ipswich goal with 18 total shots, though their efficiency in front of net remained a concern for Moyes as only 3 of those attempts found the target, while 9 flew off goal and 6 were blocked by a stubborn Tractor Boys defense.
Ipswich Town proved dangerous on the break, generating 13 total shots of their own, testing Jordan Pickford with 5 shots on goal, seeing 4 drift off target, and having 4 blocked. Pickford was forced into making 5 crucial saves to keep his clean sheet intact, while Walton managed 2 saves at the other end. Everton completed 423 of their 501 passes with an 84 percent passing accuracy, while Ipswich registered 389 accurate passes out of 455 attempts for an 85 percent completion rate.
Both sides earned 4 corner kicks each, while Everton exhibited superior defensive tackling efficiency, winning 9 of their 9 attempted tackles for a perfect 100 percent win rate, compared to Ipswich’s 12 tackles won out of 13 for 92 percent.
The physical nature of the contest produced 18 total fouls, with Ipswich committing 12 fouls and receiving two yellow cards alongside Fatawu’s red card, while Everton committed just 6 fouls, collecting 2 yellow cards.
