Everton beat Ipswich 1-0: Lucky goal, VAR controversy and finishing problems

Everton claimed their second Premier League win of the season, but the display at Hill Dickinson was far from convincing. The only goal came from a chaotic moment: James Tarkowski shot from range, the ball hit Thierno Barry and deflected past Christian Walton. The 1-0 result moved Everton up to fifth, but the real story was the chances they wasted and a VAR decision that caused controversy for the opposite reason to the Manchester derby. With officials under fire after the Manchester derby, where Pro Ref apologised for not intervening, this time VAR stepped in to disallow what looked like a legitimate second goal. Barry rose to meet Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall's corner, only for VAR to rule that Brennan Johnson, in an offside position, had interfered with the goalkeeper's line of sight. The decision drew immediate criticism. Sue Smith said on Soccer Saturday: 'The goal has been ruled out with Johnson deemed to be affecting the goalkeeper, but this is a bad decision. There was no way he was going to save that.' Her verdict highlighted growing frustration with mechanical interpretations of offside law. Everton also showed wasteful finishing. They had 21 shots but only two on target. Johnson skewed wide early on, while Dewsbury-Hall headed off target from a perfect Tyler Dibling cross. Against a sharper opponent, Everton would have paid the price. The winning goal was more about fortune than design. Tarkowski's strike hit Barry and flew in. Walton was beaten by the deflection, not by technical quality. Relying on luck is a worrying sign for a team chasing European places. Ipswich hardly threatened. They lacked quality in attack, and Gary O'Neil grew visibly frustrated on the touchline. Abdul Fatawu was sent off for two bookable offences, leaving Ipswich even worse off in the closing stages. The pressure on O'Neil is increasing. Ipswich defended bravely at times, but there was little cohesion between midfield and attack. Wasting simple counter-attacks will keep them near the bottom of the table. Tactically, Everton's problem was not chance creation. The issue was converting those chances. Barry was in the right place for the goal, but it was accidental. Dibling's crosses were dangerous, yet no one made the right run consistently. The VAR decision also highlighted a paradox. Technology was introduced to reduce errors, but sometimes it creates new ones. Last week VAR stayed silent; this week it disallowed a goal many considered valid. Inconsistency erodes trust in officiating. Everton deserved three points based on the chances they created, but this victory did not hide their problems. Twenty-one shots, two on target, one goal from a deflection. They still need a sharper striker and a more switched-on defence. One-nil was enough on the day, but the win sent a clear message: David Moyes's side can win even when not at their best. That is both worrying and promising. Worrying because relying on luck is fragile. Promising because a team rediscovering itself still finds a way to earn points. Matches like these never lack drama: a goal from a moment, VAR controversy, and a team learning to win. Everton are heading in the right direction.