James Tarkowski believes Everton produced their "best performance of the season" in their victory over Newcastle United.
Just days after knocking the Magpies out of the EFL Cup, Everton won 1-0 at St. James' Park courtesy of a Thierno Barry winner.
Barry, who missed a sitter in the first half, was on hand to tap in from a yard out after Newcastle goalkeeper Lukas Hornicek failed to hold onto Tyrique George's initial shot.
Only Erling Haaland (13) has scored more goals among Premier League players in all competitions this season than Barry (eight), while both of his league goals against Newcastle have come at St. James' Park.
Tarkowski praised Barry for his resilience, with Everton now facing a quick turnaround before Friday's league meeting with Coventry City.
"I think it was probably our best performance of the season, I thought we were terrific in the first half and could have scored two or three," Tarkowski told Sky Sports.
"Thierno gets the goal again for us. There's a lot on his shoulders, he's our only recognised striker so hopefully he can keep putting the ball in the net like he has done. He's harsh on himself but his numbers are through the roof in terms of running.
"A clean sheet is massive for us. It's a long old season. We take it game by game but tonight feels good and we can look forward to Friday [against Coventry]."
Since David Moyes returned to Everton in January 2025, only Arsenal (31) and Manchester City (28) have kept more clean sheets in the Premier League than the Toffees (20).
Everton have won all three meetings with Newcastle in 2026 in all competitions, as many wins as in their previous 12 encounters (D3 L6), and Moyes lauded his side's work ethic.
"[For] lots of the game it was [one of our best performances]," said Moyes.
"We probably had better chances in the first half. [Not taking them] kept it really difficult. Getting the first goal was important.
"Incredibly proud of the team all the time because their effort is unquestionable. There's not a lot of them but they're doing a great job and hope it continues.
"I don't think anyone enjoys playing the same team twice so quickly. So for us to win both is hugely important for us. We want to get back to the top end of the league. it's incredibly tight."