Football is a cruel game. Just look at the case of Thierno Barry.

The 23-year-old has had to be patient in his opening months as an Everton player but Monday was so close to being his night. “OK, my turn”, he wrote on Instagram last week. And his turn came with a rare start at Sunderland.

Everton are desperate for one of their strikers to seize their chance and he nearly did. After 10 minutes it was looking good. James Garner drilled narrowly wide in the first 60 seconds after Barry made a nuisance of himself and won a header deep in Mackems territory.

OPINION

The France youth international could then take further confidence from his role in Iliman Ndiaye’s opening goal. The effort was all about Ndiaye but he was given the opportunity to...