Everton edged past a resilient Ipswich Town side on Sunday, with Thierno Barry's early strike proving decisive in a contest overshadowed by another contentious VAR intervention. The 1-0 win moved David Moyes's side up to fifth in the Premier League table, extending their unbeaten run and marking a fifth clean sheet in seven matches this season.
The breakthrough arrived in unusual fashion. James Tarkowski unleashed a 25-yard volley after Christian Walton and Jack Clarke had cleared a Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall cross. Walton appeared to have the shot covered, but Barry reacted instinctively, chesting the ball into the net and leaving the goalkeeper wrong-footed. Replays suggested the striker deliberately used his chest to redirect the effort, earning him the benefit of the doubt for what stood as his fifth goal of the campaign.
Barry thought he had doubled his tally in the second half, rising above four stationary Ipswich defenders to head home a Dewsbury-Hall corner. However, referee Stuart Attwell was called to the pitch-side monitor and ruled the goal out, determining that an offside Brennan Johnson had interfered with Walton's ability to make a save — despite the goalkeeper making no attempt to reach the ball and showing no complaint about interference at the time.
The decision echoed a similarly controversial VAR call in last weekend's Manchester derby, though this time it did not alter the final outcome. Moyes offered a measured response to the ruling afterward.