Thierno Barry’s fine form continued as his 76th-minute strike helped Everton salvage a 1-1 draw against Leeds United at Hill Dickinson Stadium on Monday night.
Barry scored for the fourth time in his last five Premier League matches to cap a much-improved second-half showing from David Moyes’ side.
Leeds went ahead through James Justin just before the half-hour mark, with former Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin striking the woodwork soon after.
However, Barry hauled his team level in the closing stages, with Everton coming close to taking all three points, but Irissa Gueye’s attempt thundered against the crossbar.
The result sees Everton jump above Sunderland and into 10th, while Leeds edged six points clear of 18th-placed West Ham United.
How the match unfolded
Leeds deservedly led in the 28th minute when Anton Stach’s cross was thumped home at the back post by Justin, despite the best efforts of James Tarkowski on the line.
Daniel Farke’s side almost doubled their advantage six minutes later, but on his return to Merseyside, Calvert-Lewin thundered Jayden Bogle’s delivery against a post.
After making two substitutions at the break, Everton improved in the second half, with only a sprawling stop from Karl Darlow denying Barry’s outside-of-the-foot attempt.
Watch Darlow's superb save
Thierno Barry with the trivela 💫
— Premier League (@premierleague) January 27, 2026
But @LUFC's Karl Darlow made the stop in style ⛔️ pic.twitter.com/RTfuFsjUpz
But the Toffees’ persistence paid off 14 minutes from time when Barry got himself in front of Sebastiaan Bornauw at the near post before lifting a brilliant finish into the roof of the net.
Gueye, who set up Barry’s equaliser, came close to winning the game two minutes later, only to see his right-footed shot cannon against the crossbar from the edge of the area.
Everton substitutes make the difference
After getting the better of title-chasing Aston Villa in their last Premier League encounter, Everton would have arrived back on home turf with confidence against a Leeds side that had registered just one away win in the top flight this season.
However, their first-half showing left a lot to be desired across the board, as Leeds created several chances and dominated possession, with James Garner’s shot into the side netting on the stroke of half-time representing their best opportunity to score.
In an attempt to swing the game back in Everton’s favour, Moyes introduced both Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Jarrad Branthwaite, who returned to the fold from their respective injury issues, as the hosts matched Leeds’ formation with three central defenders.
And it certainly improved the hosts, who were able to create significantly better openings, with Bornauw's block stopping Iliman Ndiaye's shot at goal, but it was only a matter of time before Barry levelled the contest.
And while Moyes will be impressed by the response, it is now four league games without a win on home soil.
However, the Toffees do find themselves back on the road this Saturday against Brighton & Hove Albion before travelling to Craven Cottage to face Fulham on Saturday 7 February.
Leeds get another point on the board
Having dominated during the first half, Leeds may feel as though this is two points dropped, but ahead of a huge run of fixtures, they ensured they maintained a sizeable gap between themselves and the bottom three.
Their fast start was rewarded when Justin tucked home, and they could have easily added more gloss to the scoreline before the interval.
But having built their lead, Farke’s men were unable to replicate the same calibre of performance in the second half. They were seemingly happy to sit back and let Everton attack them, something that ultimately came back to haunt them.
The returning Sean Longstaff fired wildly over the crossbar late in the match before debutant Facundo Buonanotte saw his shot blocked, though Leeds will now swiftly turn their attention to some potentially season-defining games over the next month.
They welcome Premier League leaders Arsenal to Elland Road this Saturday, which is followed by matches with Nottingham Forest, Chelsea, Villa and Manchester City.
Club reports
What the managers said
David Moyes: "Mixed emotions. Really disappointed with how we played in the first half. How we set up didn't work as well as we would've liked. We got the goal and we were unfortunate not to get a second one.
"Leeds were first to every ball. We didn't compete well and it's not like us. All in all, we lacked something that would make the difference. We had a lot of players coming back and none of them were fit to start, to be honest."
Daniel Farke: "A good result for a promoted side to come away from Everton with a point. It's a tough place. We are a bit disappointed because we weren't far away from winning it. We were very dominant in the first half.
"They had more possession in the second half, but we had some control of the ball. The feeling is we still had more expected goals, more shots and we weren't far away from winning. Overall, a good performance from my lads.
"We need to control the offensive game. We didn't allow any chances in the first half. It was great for the boys to create situations and they should've scored. It was an excellent away performance."
Next five PL fixtures
Key facts
Everton remain winless against newly promoted sides in the Premier League this season (D3 L1), though are unbeaten at home in their last six matches (W4 D2).
Everton have now conceded nine goals via crosses in the Premier League this season; the joint-most in the competition this term along with West Ham.
After failing to score with any of his first 15 Premier League shots this season, Everton’s Barry has scored with five of his last 10 efforts on goal.
No side has lost fewer Premier League games since the start of December than Leeds United (1), while only Aston Villa (22), Manchester City (21), Arsenal (20), Manchester United and Fulham (both 17) have collected more points in that time than their 15.