Everton are into the quarter-finals of a domestic cup competition for only the second time in the past four years.
Given that David Moyes‘ side have been drawn League Two side Fleetwood Town, it’s inevitable that supporters have started dreaming – tentatively – of a shot at silverware, having last tasted glory in 1995, when Paul Rideout scored the only goal at Wembley to earn the Toffees the FA Cup title.
Now, Moyes knows his club need a pick-me-up after a desperate summer transfer window that weakened his team. Everton’s spending proved disastrous, but they did sign Hayden Hackney from Middlesbrough for £16m, and must now start utilising the playmaking midfielder in the Premier League.
Why Hayden Hackney must start for Everton
Hackney started on the opening day of the Premier League season. That match, the Hill Dickinson side drew against Crystal Palace, and Hackney showed plenty of promise, albeit looking raw and unpolished.
Clearly, Moyes didn’t love what he saw, with the 24-year-old’s subsequent six Premier League games coming from the bench. He has had to be patient, but after starting and starring against Newcastle, he will surely have done enough to earn a recall in the top flight.
Hackney has the skillset to add a dimension to an Everton team whose skills might lie in pragmatism and industriousness, but a team who must showcase an air of dynamism and adaptability if they are to make something of this campaign, defiant after so many summer setbacks.
Moyes will no doubt have rebuked Hackney for giving away a number of careless fouls throughout the evening. But the athleticism he wears and the energy he plays with makes him the perfect new addition to slot into the starting line-up in the Premier League.
To be sure, Moyes will have to give Hackney a starting berth going forward.
However, Hackney may feel he should be played further forward, having affected the game in so many ways when utilising his pace and attacking potency on Wednesday evening.
Who knows, perhaps he’ll elevate Thierno Barry‘s game at centre-forward.
Thierno Barry’s performance vs Newcastle
It’s a good thing Barry is so unwavering in his determination to succeed as a Premier League striker. The 23-year-old has his problems as a frontman, oh sure, but he scored and assisted against the Magpies, taking his tally to seven goals and two assists across 11 games in all competitions this season.
Last term, after his £27m move from Villarreal, Barry registered eight goal involvements in all competitions, across 41 matches. He’s already overtaken last year’s tally, illustrating growth which is coming at the perfect time for a weakened Toffees team.
Barry has a lot of talent, but he’s hardly the finished article. With no other strikers in Everton’s first team, Moyes needs his senior players to step up – not miss training and be sidelined for disciplinary reasons, as Jack Grealish was ahead of the win over Newcastle.
Luckily, another member of the Everton persuasion chipped in and showed they can become a Grealish-esque superstar for the Hill Dickinson side.
Everton star is becoming the new Grealish
Grealish’s absence was a tough one to take before the match, but Everton did just fine without their most important attacking player. In fact, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall stepped up in his absence.
There’s a case to be made that the 28-year-old is yet to reach the heighs of last season. After joining Everton from Chelsea in 2025, Dewsbury-Hall scored eight times last season, producing all-encompassing performances and driving from midfield into attack.
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Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall vs Newcastle |
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|---|---|
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Match Stats |
# |
|
Minutes played |
86′ |
|
Goals + Assists |
0 + 1 |
|
Touches |
40 |
|
Accurate passes |
19/24 (79%) |
|
Chances created |
2 |
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Crosses completed |
1/5 |
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Possession lost |
12x |
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Succ. dribbles |
2/3 |
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Ball recoveries |
3 |
|
Def. contributions |
1 |
|
Duels won |
6/11 |
He was a threat throughout, with journalist Josh Bunting noting that he had been “top-class throughout the evening“. Moyes’ side covered ground in just the right ways, swarming their opponents and picking the right moments. Dewsbury-Hall was instrumental in this; without Grealish on the field, he dictated the flow of Everton’s playmaking.
Whether Dewsbury-Hall has it within him to play with the same kind of talismanic gusto as Grealish remains to be seen. In all honesty, it doesn’t matter. He is his own individual, someone who can change a game and play with an understated skill in attack which might just cement him as Everton’s main man as the season deepens.
Before Everton defeated Newcastle in the Carabao Cup, the news that Grealish would miss out due to disciplinary reasons cast a malaise over Merseyside.
For sure, his creativity and flair could have had an impact against Newcastle, but Dewsbury-Hall rose to the occasion and provided the midas touch Everton needed to down Newcastle and take a confident step forward under Moyes’ wing.
