Barry's late tap-in sends Everton to victory at Newcastle

Everton won 1-0 at St James' Park on Monday, and the winner came from substitute Thierno Barry, who finished from close range after a Newcastle goalkeeping mistake.

The goal came after Tyrique George drove a shot at Lukas Hornicek. The ball squirmed under the goalkeeper's body and rolled loose, and Barry was left with an empty net to tap in. A tap-in is a simple finish from a few yards out, and it is the kind of goal that can decide a game when neither side has much else. The Guardian described the moment as the decisive turn of the match.

Newcastle had to live with that goal for much of the afternoon, because they were playing with 10 men for the defeat. Their numbers were down, and they could not find a way back into the game.

Everton made two changes to the team that started their last match. Harrison Armstrong returned to the starting line-up, according to Everton's official site. Jack Grealish was not in the squad for the trip to the north east at all.

This was a tough week for Newcastle. They had played a Carabao Cup fourth-round tie, the League Cup, on the Thursday before, so this was their second game in a few days. Everton had already beaten Newcastle 3-1 in that cup tie, which set up a quarter-final away at Fleetwood Town, as Reuters reported at the end of October.

Before the match, Newcastle's head coach, Matthias Jaissle, had talked about the need to show the right mentality against Everton. He wanted his side to bring the right attitude, and on this occasion the result did not go their way. Newcastle United's website carried his comments ahead of the game.

For Everton, the win is three points in the Premier League table, the top division of English football. It also means the Barry name is now fresh in the minds of fans who may not have known much about him. He came off the bench, got into the right place at the right time, and made the most of a gift.

For Newcastle, the sting is in how the goal came. A goalkeeper's error decided a league game that they were otherwise in. Next up, they will need to pick themselves up quickly, because the season does not wait for anyone.