The new Fellaini: 7/10 monster dropped his best display in an Everton shirt

There was a moment after the final whistle that typified Everton’s performance at Old Trafford.

A bloody-nosed Jake O’Brien stood, breathless, beside the centre circle, and David Moyes darted about with raw and passionate joy, congratulating his players after their 1-0 win over Manchester United.

It was a tenacious and draining display, the kind that Toffees fans love, that steeliness of spirit that is so typical of the Merseyside club.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall was all passion when he wheeled away in celebration after a sweet finish into the corner before half an hour had been clocked. His weak-footed wonder would prove the match-winning strike.

However, the highly-charged emotions were two-fold, and Idrissa Gueye found himself dismissed before that point, having been adjudged to have slapped none other than teammate Michael Keane.

Everton's enthralling response to Gueye's red card

It looked set to be a long and gruelling evening for Everton after Gueye was dismissed in the first half following an altercation with his own pal Keane.

The dismissal was harsh, but the spat between the two Blues was needless. Gueye will miss Everton’s next three matches due to violent conduct, and he will leave for a sojourn at the African Cup of Nations after the new year.

Even so, Everton responded with the kind of vim and vigour Moyes craves. This was a herculean performance, the visitors leaving the Theatre of Dreams, having willed their way past Ruben Amorim’s lagging side.

Dewsbury-Hall was the man of the moment but Jordan Pickford’s imperious goalkeeping helped matters, for sure.

But, this was a massive collective effort, Dewsbury-Hall the goal-getter but flanked by hard-working Jack Grealish and Iliman Ndiaye, supported by a determined Keane and commanding captain James Tarkowski.

One man trudged off the field during the closing stages having failed an individual objective, but then this Marouane Fellaini-esque Everton star also showed so much promise against a Red Devils backline who struggled to contain him.

Moyes's new Marouane Fellaini

It’s been a testing start to life in Liverpool for Thierno Barry after his £27m move to Everton from Villarreal this summer, but he’s probably put in the best performance of his campaign so far against Manchester United’s backline.

The centre-forward was hailed by one scout for being “very close to clicking”, with his energy and enthusiasm offering shades of Fellaini, who became the most expensive Belgian of all time when joining Everton for £15m (their club-record buy) from Standard Liege in 2008.

It took time and experimentation for Fellaini to find his feet, but once he did, he became a monstrous box-to-box force at Goodison Park, and Barry must take a leaf from the retired star’s book and continue to knuckle down with a continuation of performances like this one at Old Trafford.

Fellaini featured 193 times under Moyes’ wing across stints at Everton and Man United, making him the 14th-highest appearance maker in the Scotsman’s managerial history.

Marouane Fellaini – Career Stats

Club

Apps

Goals + Assists

Everton

177

33 + 24

Man United

177

22 + 10

Shandong

141

50 + 14

Standed Liege

84

12 + 7

Data via Transfermarkt

Barry won’t likely play as many matches in the veteran coach’s system, but that’s not to say the summer recruit cannot forge a long and prosperous career for himself on Merseyside, carrying Moyes’ schoolings right through that Everton career.

He didn’t score against Man United, but the 23-year-old was full of life and bustle, with Sofascore recording that he won 14 aerial battles on the evening. That’s the highest amount of any player in the Premier League this season across a single contest.

Moreover, Barry made three ball recoveries, two clearances and provided an outlet all evening, taking a stride forward toward cementing his place at the front of the ship, even though he hasn’t yet broken his duck.

The Liverpool Echo handed the French striker a 7/10 match rating, but the truth is that he might have enjoyed a higher score after such a battle-ready performance, never easing against United’s centre-halves while demonstrating slick movement throughout.

Moyes went ballistic when Beto squandered possession late on, brought on in the closing stages for freshness and physicality. The established number nine has done his chances a lot of harm this season, and Barry is beginning to show that he has what it takes to nail down a regular starting spot in this system.

This striker is full of potential. He didn’t actually manage a shot at Old Trafford, but impressed nonetheless.

The goals will come. He’s talented and willing to learn. Bonus: there’s something almost Fellaini-esque about his aerial prowess and willingness to get stuck in. Moyes will be delighted.

0 minutes all season: "Generational" Everton star could be Branthwaite 2.0

David Moyes must consider unleashing this talented Everton youngster in the coming weeks.

ByAngus Sinclair Nov 7, 2025

Howe can fix Gordon blow by unleashing Newcastle "monster" in new position

Newcastle United’s win over Athletic Bilbao in the Champions League on Wednesday evening was much-needed, but Eddie Howe knows his side have not yet responded to the bitter Premier League defeat at West Ham United last weekend.

Now, they have the opportunity to do that against Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium. This is a tough match, with Keith Andrews’ side rallying after a difficult summer transfer window and defying a few by easing away from the relegation pack so far this season.

The Bees have lost just one of their five home fixtures in the Premier League this term, a 1-0 defeat to Manchester City, and, alarmingly, United have not won away from St. James’ Park, losing three in a row in the top flight. They do, however, have a strong recent record against the Londoners.

24/25

Premier League (H)

2-1 win

24/25

Carabao Cup (H)

3-1 win

24/25

Premier League (A)

4-2 loss

23/24

Premier League (A)

4-2 win

23/24

Premier League (H)

1-0 win

With the November international break looming large, this is the perfect opportunity for the Toon to prove they have what it takes to establish consistency both on Tyneside and on the road.

However, they will have to do this without Anthony Gordon, who has been ruled out after injuring his hip in midweek.

The latest on Anthony Gordon's fitness

Gordon has not been in great form for a while. Across his past 19 Premier League outings, the England international has failed to score or assist a goal.

But the 24-year-old is still one of the most talented wingers in the country, and he will be missed against a resilient Brentford outfit.

Howe intimated in his pre-match press conference that Gordon will be unavailable, having suffered a recurrence of the hip injury that has plagued him this year after about an hour of action in the Champions League.

Of course, we can’t ignore the frustrating watch that preceded the setback. Chronicle Live gave Gordon a 5/10 match rating and commented that he didn’t look right down the left channel.

Gordon will be sidelined for this one, but Howe may well have considered replacing him anyway after a tough spell.

Harvey Barnes is the most likely candidate to move onto the left wing, but there’s an even more left-field option that the manager may want to consider, especially after Joelinton found form in the centre of the park several days ago.

Howe can unleash Gordon replacement in new role

Newcastle have enough resources available to find that elusive away win without Gordon in the mix. But it will require a big performance, with players stepping up and kick-starting their season.

Among these is Jacob Ramsey, who joined Newcastle from Aston Villa for £39m plus £4m in add-ons this summer. The Boyhood Villa fan has struggled with injuries over the past few years, but he was a popular and talented figure in the Midlands, and there’s a sense from Newcastle’s rivals that they have lost a potential superstar.

Fitness issues have plagued him at the start of his career in a new setting, and because of this, Ramsey has only featured seven times across all competitions, with just one start in the Premier League.

It was a dour day in the capital for Newcastle last weekend, but Ramsey showed something of his quality when entering the fray after the interval, with Sofascore recording that he completed two dribbles, made three recoveries and won four of six duels throughout the second half.

Given the robustness of Newcastle’s central engine room, it would be foolish to unleash Ramsey in the ten berth against tough-tackling Brentford. However, he has the dribbling ability and creativity to service Woltemade from the left, leaving Howe to pick one of Barnes or Jacob Murphy to play from the right flank.

The former Villan played like a man with a desire to nail down a starting spot at the London Stadium, and while his efforts were to no avail, his commitment cannot be questioned.

This is a versatile playmaker whose skills could damage the home side from the wing. When played out wide, Ramsey has historically had something of a penchant for an evenly spread output.

Left midfield

70

12 (12)

Central midfield

67

11 (4)

Attacking midfield

59

17 (10)

Left wing

8

1 (2)

Right midfield

4

0 (0)

Centre-forward

2

2 (0)

Hailed as a “monster” of an attacking midfielder by analyst Ryan McKeown, Ramsey’s pace, fluid movement and impressive athleticism – when at full fitness – now need to be channelled into something prolific. Howe signed the player with a vision in his mind, and now he must put that plan into action.

After all, despite a tough year on the Englishman’s part, he has shown his quality through his underlying data, with FBref revealing he ranks among the top 5% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past yerar for pass completion, the top 9% for tackles and the top 6% for success rate when taking on opponents per 90.

Now, the impetus is on building up match fluidity and avoiding another injury setback. Should Ramsey succeed in this, he might even come to pile pressure on Gordon for a place on the left flank.

Newcastle have options as they prepare to take on Brentford at the Gtech, and after signing a talent such as Ramsey for a hefty fee this summer, surely this is the perfect time for him to announce himself in the Premier League under Howe’s wing.

PIF's "massive overpay" is quickly becoming the new Almiron at Newcastle

Newcastle have struggled to get the best out of this star this season.

ByAngus Sinclair Nov 7, 2025

Sai Kishore five-for drives Surrey to lead-extending win over Durham

Sam Curran makes 40 in run-chase as Durham’s relegation woes are heightened

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay31-Jul-2025

Sam Curran was in the runs in Surrey’s chase•Getty Images

Surrey 322 and 176 for 5 (Curran 40) beat Durham 153 and 344 (Gay 99, Kishore 5-72) by five wicketsSurrey’s cricketers took a vital step towards the retention of the Rothesay County Championship when they defeated Durham by five wickets at the Banks Homes Riverside.Indian slow left-armer, Sai Kishore, took five for 72 as Rory Burns’ side dismissed Durham for 344 in their second innings and Sam Curran made 40 to help Surrey score the 176 runs they needed for their fourth victory of the season.With the game between Nottinghamshire and Somerset at Trent Bridge seemingly heading for a draw, it appears certain the 21 points Surrey earned for their victory will ensure they extend their lead at the top of the Division One table and make them even stronger favourites to clinch their fourth successive title at some point in September.However, the three points they earned from the game does nothing to ease next-to-bottom Durham’s relegation concerns, although their precise situation will not be clear until the results at Scarborough, Chelmsford and Worcester are known on Friday.But this third day did not go entirely according to Surrey’s morning plans. For nearly 45 minutes, the spin bowling of Sai Kishore and Dan Lawrence gave Durham’s overnight pair, Graham Clark and Codi Yusuf, few problems and it was no surprise when Burns took the new ball as soon as it was available. However, neither Dan Worrall nor Jordan Clark, the latter bowling to his brother, could make a breakthrough and it was left to Lawrence to take the first wicket of the day twenty minutes before lunch when Clark inside-edged a sharply turning off-spinner to Ryan Patel at short leg and departed for 42.But Clark’s 71-run partnership with Yusuf had increased Durham’s lead to 121 and that figure had been nudged up to 136 at the first interval, when the home side were 305 for six, with Yusuf unbeaten on 38.After lunch, though, Durham lost their last four wickets for 33 runs in ten overs and the magnitude of Surrey’s task became clear. After batting for 149 minutes and facing 117 balls, Yusuf was caught at the wicket by Ben Foakes off Sai Kishore for 43, seven short of what would have been only his second first-class fifty; Bas de Leede was then lbw for five when he pushed forward to a ball from Sai Kishore that slid on with the arm; and the left-handed Ben Raine departed for 27 when he moved a yard or so across his stumps and was hit on the pads when trying to swing Sam Curran to leg.Sai Kishore then completed his first five-wicket haul for Surrey in his final spell for them this year when Matthew Potts drove him to Patel at short extra-cover and Surrey were left with the task of scoring 176 to secure their fourth win of the season.Their pursuit began in straightforward fashion. Despite being handicapped by a groin strain and needing Tom Lawes to run for him, Dom Sibley made 35 and had put on 49 with Burns before he was caught at slip by Colin Ackermann off Callum Parkinson. Patel joined his captain and the pair had put on 45 runs either side of tea before both were dismissed in the space of three balls.Having made 28, Patel was the first to go when he attempted to pull Metthew Potts through the leg side but only skied a catch to Clark at midwicket. Two balls later, Burns was stumped by Robinson off Parkinson for 24. That left Surrey on 94 for three and Durham’s hopes were raised once more.Not for long, however. Curran and Lawrence took their side to 135 for three, just 41 runs short of their target when the umpires decided the light was too bad and briefly took the teams off the field. When they returned, Surrey’s batsmen accelerated towards their target with a flurry of boundaries. Although Curran was caught at long-on by Ben McKinney off Parkinson when nine runs were needed and Foakes was bowled for seven by Potts in the next over, Clark ended the game by hitting his first ball through the covers for two.

Game
Register
Service
Bonus