As this game entered its final minutes, Thierno Barry sat on the Everton bench looking disconsolate. Hands clasped, gaze distant, the 23-year-old appeared as though he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. He may well have been.

His side were dominating the Premier League’s upstarts when he flashed a glorious opportunity wide of Robin Roefs goal and all of a sudden this match turned. For the first half an hour, David Moyes’ outfit played with an authority and an intelligence that had an opponent flush with confidence losing discipline and chasing shadows.

Iliman Ndiaye gave Everton a deserved lead with another sublime goal - one in which Barry, a handful in the early stages, helped to create. Jack Grealish was inches from adding a second but was thwarted by the post. Everton were vibrant, assertive and composed inside a fervent Stadium of Light.

Everton’s two strikers have struggled to find the ruthlessness needed to push this side forward. Beto has just one...