The Toffees Script is yet another monumental road victory

Everton picked up another monumental victory on the road, beating Newcastle United 3-2 at St. James’ Park.

The Toffees showed remarkable resilience to score the go-ahead goal shortly after the Magpies had equalized twice in a breathtaking match.

Jarrad Branthwaite, Beto and Thierno Barry got on the scoresheet for the Blues, while Jordan Pickford made one of the saves of the season at the end to take the three points for David Moyes’ side.

Everton were dominant in the first half and Branthwaite put the visitors ahead from a corner. Although Newcastle equalized through Jacob Ramsey, Beto took advantage of a Nick Pope error to re-secure the lead just two minutes later.

Beto hit the crossbar after a 1-on-1 chance in the second half and the hosts dragged themselves back into the match after scoring another equalizer, this time through Jacob Murphy eight minutes from time.

However, they were level for barely a minute when Iliman Ndiaye and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall led a stunning counter after regaining possession high before Barry finished.

It was an impressive response from the Toffees after successive defeats at home and after this win they sit eighth in the standings with 40 points.

Here are the player ratings from Everton’s brilliant 3-2 win over Newcastle:

Jordan Pickford: 8

The Everton goalkeeper made one of the saves of the season to deny Newcastle their final equalizer. His outstretched hand managed to tip the ball towards the crossbar, after Sandro Tonali struck powerfully at the end. There is very little Pickford could have done about the two equalizers as both attempts took unfortunate deflections off Branthwaite and Gana before finding their way into the net.

Jake O’Brien: 6

O’Brien returned to the line-up after a one-match suspension against Manchester United and was mainly involved in rearguard action. Held his own against Joelinton on the right flank.

James Tarkowski: 7.5

Tarkowski made some decisive defensive plays as he cut off a passing lane and blocked Elanga’s attempted pass as Newcastle were on break. He also chopped the ball away after Pickford failed to fully deal with the visitors’ attempt.

Jarrad Branthwaite: 8

Branthwaite put his side ahead after an inch-perfect header that deflected the ball towards the far post for the opening goal. He also scored another brilliant header to take the ball from Anthony Gordon on the hour mark for a crucial interception. Was unlucky to deflect the ball into his own goal after throwing his body to block Jacob Ramsey’s shot.

Vitalii Mykolenko: 7

Mykolenko, restored to the starting XI, performed decently at the back. Made several distances out of the corners and was busy keeping the fast Anthony Elanga quiet.

Idrissa Gueye: 8

After a dip in form since his return to AFCON, the experienced midfielder played a wonderful game in the heart of the engine room. He continued to run throughout the 90 minutes and was unlucky for Newcastle’s second goal. Gueye more than made up for this by leading the press with Ndiaye to regain possession for the third goal.

James Garner: 7.5

It was his fantastic corner kick that led to the opening goal. Garner kept everything ticking in the middle and also added tenacity as he shielded the backline to protect his side’s lead late on.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (replaced by Michael Keane at 89′): 8

Dewsbury-Hall led several counters for Everton with energetic runs and combinations. With a perfect low cross he set Barry up for the winner.

Dwight McNeil (replaced by Harrison Armstrong at 81′): 6

McNeil tested Nick Pope from the edge of the penalty area, leading to Beto’s goal after the Newcastle goalkeeper spilled the ball in his direction. He also tracked regularly and registered defensive contributions.

Education: 8.5

Ndiaye was again at his brilliant best and was at the heart of Everton’s dominance in the first half. He made brilliant exchanges with his compatriot and came close to the box with runs and dribbles.

He also led a great counter-attack in the first half, but his pass to Dewsbury-Hall was a disappointment. Ndiaye also played a key role in Everton’s third goal and after regaining possession high up the pitch, he sent Dewsbury Hall through to the latter to feed Barry for the winner.

Beto (replaced by Thierno Barry at 74′): 7

Beto, making his first start in a long time, showed the striker’s instincts to capitalize on Newcastle’s mistake and put his side ahead shortly after equalizing in the first half.

He also couldn’t believe how he got through on goal after a battle with Thiaw, but hit the crossbar from a 1-on-1 situation with the keeper.

Replacements

Thierno Barry: 8

Was in the right place at the right time to bundle the ball home and score the winner for his side after coming off the bench.

Harrison Armstrong: 6

Made a late cameo from the bench.

Michael Keane: N/A

Please note: The following content is not moderated or controlled by the site owners at the time of submission. Comments are the responsibility of the poster. Disclaimer ()

Posted on 28/02/2026 at 19:20:22

Strange how we can do this on the go. Maybe we should have spent half a billion on players and finished every match!But seriously… After all the moaning about the selection of O’Brien at right-back, and McNeil at all, will some people give credit where this is due to the management and coaching staff? I doubt it.

I spent much of the second half wondering if McNeil had gotten lost in the toilets at halftime. But in a match where both our ‘useless’ centre-forwards are scoring, and our Not a Right Back is keeping a £40m Everton snub quiet, I’ll just go out and have some winning beers.

On another point. My 25 year old son never saw Neville Southall play. He thinks Jordan is the best we’ve ever had. Oh the innocence of youth. Perhaps with a little silverware, a valid debate can emerge in the years to come.

Posted on 28/02/2026 at 19:35:01

Surely the Blues manager should get at least a 1 for all his efforts?

Posted on 28/02/2026 at 19:37:52

This team is so unpredictable. Great result. Just beat Burnley on Tuesday.

Posted on 28/02/2026 at 20:26:04

Bill,That’s the problem. Why can’t we copy the home form to the away form?

I don’t really like this stat xG shite, but I did see something last week that showed all these shite stats were better at home! Work that out!

Anyway, there’s a bit of point in beating Newcastle and all away from home if we can’t do the business at home.

Burnley are unlucky today and fighting for survival. Sure, by God we can do them next week.

Posted on 28/02/2026 at 21:14:33

Martin.I’m a huge Big Nev fan. He was the best in the world, despite Man Utd Schmeichel’s prejudice at the time.

That Pickford save was out of this world! Tell your son that his hero is the best ever! Excellent! And against that fate!