Calvert-Lewin shows Everton what they miss, Barry offers a glimpse of the future | OneFootball

For a good hour of Monday’s clash with Leeds United, Dominic Calvert-Lewin showed Everton what they are missing.

Yes, he missed a gilt-edged chance to make it 2-0 to Leeds midway through the first half, as Everton — who were shocking in that opening period — very nearly wilted under a constant barrage of pressure.

A deflected cross came to Calvert-Lewin at pace, and he could only turn his effort against the woodwork from six yards out.

Everton got away with one, and they took advantage. In the second half, Thierno Barry — from a not altogether too dissimilar chance, though hardly a carbon copy — beat his marker to Idrissa Gueye’s cross at the same end, at the same point on the edge of the six-yard box, and stabbed home, high into the net.

On the face of it, Everton’s current striker scored, and their old one didn’t, and missed a big chance in the process.

Yet I fear this misses the wider point and context.

Calvert-Lewin, especially in the first half, was fantastic. He ran Everton’s defence ragged, stretching it, running the channels and getting into a real tussle with Jake O’Brien and James Tarkowski.

The 28-year-old was also dropping expertly into midfield, creating the space for Leeds’ marauding wing-backs to charge forward down the flanks, while Brenden Aaronson was causing havoc down the Whites’ left flank.

Calvert-Lewin had 17 touches in the first half, though Leeds’ issue was only two of those came in Everton’s area.

And there could be an argument to say it was the “classic” Calvert-Lewin display, the type that Evertonians — or a certain section of the fanbase — had grown tired of.

The issue is, as Leeds dominated every facet of the game in the first half, it was evident just how much Everton, playing the way they do under David Moyes, miss a centre-forward with Calvert-Lewin’s skillset and attributes.

Bringing others into the game, getting their team up the pitch.

And this is not a criticism of Barry. He has shown he is much better at doing that than Beto, for example. He needs time, and patience. The confidence he now has in front of goal is brilliant to see, and shows a tantalising glimpse at a bright future.

However, he still has some way to go in his all-round play. The first half showed the difference.

Barry toiled up front against a back three, and that was on Moyes. His striker was isolated and his team selection was exposed. Harrison Armstrong has been fantastic since he returned on loan from Preston North End, but he lacked the physicality to get up and offer any support to the front man. Dwight McNeil playing out on the right wing was a pointless exercise.

Everton, unsurprisingly — albeit, it could hardly get much worse — improved in the second half after Moyes introduced the fit-again Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Jarrad Branthwaite. The change in shape helped, not only to get the Toffees up the pitch, but also give Calvert-Lewin a taste of the medicine that Barry had to swallow during the opening 45 minutes.

Barry took his chance brilliantly when it came, having previously drawn a fine save out of Karl Darlow with a cute, outside-of-the-boot effort. It is now four goals in the space of five league games for the 23-year-old.

But with a week left in the transfer window, Everton need to be smart, and they must be opportunistic. Leeds had 10 shots in the first half, and a better team than them would have put them away.

Calvert-Lewin might have missed that great chance to put the game to bed, but he had also played a huge role in Leeds’ dominance up to that point.

While Everton can look to the future in Barry, they must also look to their past in Calvert-Lewin, and realise they still need their centre-forward to offer those traits, too.

Reader Comments (30)

Note: the following content is not moderated or vetted by the site owners at the time of submission. Comments are the responsibility of the poster. Disclaimer ()

Dale Self 1 Posted 28/01/2026 at 13:48:49

If it isn't a criticism of Barry, it is a criticism of Moyes. The manager sets it up for the spacing and channels to be targeted.

Barry is a kid who is trying his best to figure it out. While he hasnt, and still may not, stitch together a full portfolio of football functions, he is scoring on very few opportunities created.

Go on, place a bet on Calvert-Lewin. I will support Barry catching him, without drama.

Calvert-Lewin put the club in a bad position for an offer that never materialized. Talking about it rather than just getting on with it cost us all. He is gone and we don't miss him.

I was hoping to avoid that discussion.

Les Callan 3 Posted 28/01/2026 at 14:43:53

If he had stuck that easy chance away in the first half……game over.

But he didn't.

Sean Kearns 4 Posted 28/01/2026 at 15:00:31

“Showed Everton what they miss”… What are you on about?

Leeds are currently 16th the Premier League, same place we were when he was up front for us. It's not a coincidence. Give me Beto, Barry and top half of the league all day!

Some of the article titles seem disingenuous and spiteful to me sometimes. Barry scored a blinder, Dom missed a sitter by using the wrong foot coz he doesn't have a left at all. But apparently we are missing him??? 😝 🤣 😂

Sean Mitchell 6 Posted 28/01/2026 at 15:57:05

Leave Calvert-Lewin in the past, for fuck's sake.

I'm sick of hearing about the dress wearer.

Mark Murphy 7 Posted 28/01/2026 at 16:08:29

Culottes, Sean, it was culottes...

"Those world-shaking culottes are a case in point. ‘I thought I'd just pulled some shorts on,' he says with a laugh. ‘So when the cover came out and it looked like a skirt, I didn't even know what had happened".

Jimmy Carr 8 Posted 28/01/2026 at 16:33:25

When in doubt about Calvert-Lewin, reach low for a snarky comment about his modelling career.

Sad.

Mike Gaynes 9 Posted 28/01/2026 at 16:35:15

Excerpt from Barry article in The Athletic:

“Every day my family sends me (messages of) people saying I am the worst striker, so I say, ‘okay, I am the worst striker', so that is why I do this celebration,” he said on Monday after pointing at himself and mouthing ‘me?' following his goal.

“You see the critics, but I like to prove people wrong who have the wrong idea of me. For me, I don't care, I like it when someone talks about me. I see the criticism and I don't care.”

By his own admission, Barry is still learning the finer arts of forward play in the Premier League. His career to date has taken in spells in Belgium, Switzerland and Spain. He has scored goals wherever he has played, but he sees English football as a different beast.

“I think it is because I came from Spain,” he noted on his early struggles. “I need to adapt to the new league and it is difficult to play against the best defenders in the world.

“It is more physical here. I am tall, but I am not big (strong), so I need to work on my body to know how to use my body to protect the ball.

“I have learnt in training and I try to prove every week that I can play here and can play in England because it is my dream.

“To improve fast you need to play, so the gaffer (David Moyes) has given me a lot of confidence and I try to give back. I try to give more. I train every day to be ready, and I hope to continue like this.”

Mark Murphy 11 Posted 28/01/2026 at 17:07:03

"Every day my family sends me (messages of) people saying I am the worst striker."

Well, that's nice of them -- Jeez, talk about tough love!

Derek Knox 12 Posted 28/01/2026 at 18:11:15

For those saying we should have kept Calvert-Lewin, I believe he was offered a new contract but refused it.

On the footballing side, he always appeared to be injured, and when he did play, he missed a shed full of chances.

Admittedly he is scoring for Leeds, and I'm happy for him, but would he (hypothetically) have done for us had he stayed?

Christy Ring 13 Posted 28/01/2026 at 18:18:18

Why resort to abuse? And Sean 'give me Beto, Barry all day' 'enough said?

Sadly, he only had 2 games under Moyes, and was MotM against Spurs, but his hamstring injury finished his season, and his career here.

However, we can't deny a fit Calvert-Lewin is definitely an asset, as he has shown this season, even if you don't like him.

Ian Jones 14 Posted 28/01/2026 at 19:22:29

Christy's comment: 'A fit Calvert-Lewin is definitely an asset' sums it up for me. He's the perfect striker for a Moyes style of player.

Barry is Barry, with his own style of play. It's going to take him time to get used to a different country and a different football culture.

From reading of his past performances at previous clubs, he only gets into a period of form scorimg goals in the second half of a season. Then he moves on to a different club and repeats the process.

I think he has spent the last 3 seasons at 3 different clubs in 3 different countries... which must tell us something.

Oliver Molloy 16 Posted 28/01/2026 at 19:45:28

So on Monday night, Calvert-Lewin did indeed do what all Evertonians were well used to over the years -- miss an open net!

He played as we all know he can do when fit (getting up there in the air, holding the ball up, etc), he was always going to try harder against us but, when the sitter was presented to him, he failed. How may times have Evertonians seen that over the years???

I have nothing against him as a person, but I am an Everton supporter and it was time to move on. I genuinely am happy he is gone.

There was a contract offered to him -- he chose not to sign it, waiting to see who might come in for him, so Everton withdrew that offer and rightly so.

The club were never going to give him an increase on the £90k per week he was already earning given his record with injury and putting the ball in the net.

I think it is very telling that Leeds were the only club that showed up -- the contract he signed with them is actually less than he was earning with Everton and certainly a lot less than he was demanding (£130k - £140k) from the club. He then sacked his agents and initially represented himself before signing to a new agents.

I have a friend who is a Leeds supporter who reckons the contract he has with Leeds is performance-based, that could be based on lots of scenarios.

Comparing Calvert-Lewin to Barry is unfair given our guy has only dipped his toe in the toughest league in the world, he has openly admitted that the physicality shocked him and is already starting to show he is getting stronger and, once he really gets up to speed, he will be better than our former Number 9, I think.

Darren Hind 18 Posted 28/01/2026 at 20:51:41

Despite being played in several different positions in his first three seasons here, Calvert-Lewin scored over 70 goals for this club. He has fought his way back from a severe injury to score 9 in 19 for a struggling Leeds team.

Barry is playing with a vastly superior set of players has scored 5 in 25. Fans have had to watch his attempts to control a football through their fingers.

I'm all for supporting our boy. I think he will get better, but there is some utter shite being spouted here. One of these players has already scored more Premier League goals than the other ever will.

His current scoring rate is better. He will score more this season. He is bigger, faster and stronger. And although he cost twenty times less. He is an infinitely better footballer.

Ian, all that tells me about Barry is that he has moved on to a better team each season.

I'm sick to death of hearing about Calvert-Lewin, 70 goals in 9 seasons... so what??? That's about 8 a season with James, Richarlison, Digne, etc assisting him. They are far better players than the ones who are currently wearing our shirt who Barry has to rely on to supply him with chances.

Calvert-Lewin is gone -- can we stop lauding this 8-goal-a-season striker? He had his chance to stay and decided he was too good for us and has gone to the mighty Leeds Utd.

Ian Bennett 20 Posted 29/01/2026 at 07:01:42

It's a pretty low bar, running Tarkowski "ragged".

And he can run as much as he wants. But he is a footballing lamp post. He can't shoot, and without a first-time finish from the penalty spot, he can't score either.

He is a player that needs a footballing partner. He looked decent with Richarlison, and played well with the other Leeds lad, Okafor. Without it, he is ineffective, relying on his own game. Sky high wages and a terrible injury record... we will see the Leeds fans' patience next season.

His comments about being booed by a frustrated minority at Aston Villa were shameful. The club gave him his chance, gave him huge wages, and stuck by him. His comments lacked any class. I thank him for his contribution, but I won't miss him.

He is over-rated, mainly by himself.

Tony Abrahams 22 Posted 29/01/2026 at 07:44:03

He did show us that we could do with a centre forward who knows how to lead the line but it doesn't mean anyone would want him back.

I'm obviously only speaking for myself but it was best for both Everton and Calvert-Lewin that he decided to move on.

Darren Hind 23 Posted 29/01/2026 at 08:05:14

You don't even have to leave this thread to see why so many players cant wait to get out of our club. Some don't just hound them when they are here. They follow them to their next clubs with Ill-informed gibberish and out-and-out lies.

No wonder Calvert-Lewin's Mrs slapped down those brave little soldiers on social media. They know more about character assassination than they do about football

Ian Bennett,

It's pretty clear you were not at Villa Park that day, but that doesn't mean you haven't heard those "Shameful" comments from Calvert-Lewin. The ones that "lacked class".

Would you care to share them with those of us who haven't? A link? A quote?

Martin Berry 24 Posted 29/01/2026 at 12:12:56

Interesting title -- may be tongue in cheek to garner a response? It worked!

Calvert-Lewin scored a great one against Palace to keep us in the Premier League, we will always remember that and how he and the fans celebrated.

That said, do you not remember how injury-prone he was and could still be? We move on.

The deft touches that Barry showed in scoring his last two goals, plus the one denied by a brilliant save from the Leeds keeper, shows a talent that Calvert-Lewin will never have.

Barry is getting more physical in each game and I will predict that next season, after a more summer conditioning, we will have a real striker on our hands.

Ray Jacques 26 Posted 29/01/2026 at 14:08:19

Eh? He didnt score and missed an acceptable chance.

The issue should be not about Calvert-Lewin but about the success or failure of Everton to replace him with better. Time will tell, but letting him go was the correct decision.

The last decent season he had was under Carlo Ancelotti.

John Charles 27 Posted 29/01/2026 at 14:26:51

Good luck to Dom in future. He definitely showed us what he offers -- decent centre-forward play until the important part when he misses a sitter.

We saw that an awful lot at Goodison. I only want to see it when he is playing for someone else from now on.

Ian Jones 28 Posted 29/01/2026 at 16:10:25

For those saying Calvert-Lewin missed a sitter, the one where he hits the post, I don't think that was a sitter in the classic 'sitter' territory -- it was a difficult chance. Any forward putting that away would be pleased with doing so.

Of course, if he'd scored it, Roy Keane would have said he's a forward and that's what he's there to do.

The goal Barry put away was not an easy chance. Would we say he missed a sitter if he'd missed it?

Mike Gaynes 29 Posted 29/01/2026 at 16:23:11

Latest fun rumor: ESPN Brazil has us in for a 20-year-old Brazilian winger named Wesley Gassova, currently running with Cristiano Ronaldo at Al-Nassr.

They paid Corinthians £21M for him in 2024.

Mark Murphy 30 Posted 29/01/2026 at 17:10:39

To be fair, Ian, I only wrote the word 'missed'. I think the ed inserted the words …'a sitter' It wasn't a sitter, but he still missed with only the keeper to beat.

Something he did regularly with us.

Geoff Cadman 31 Posted 29/01/2026 at 17:54:32

Martin DCL's goal against Palace didn't us keep up it guaranteed we stayed up. With Burnley losing their last game and Leeds winning theirs

we would have stayed up anyway. On the other hand his performance at Brighton when he didn't score was probably more crucial.