Hayden Hackney needed one close-range volley to turn a tense night at Hill Dickinson Stadium into a chance for Everton’s younger players to take the spotlight. The 24-year-old midfielder assisted James Garner’s opener, then scored Everton’s second in a 2-0 EFL Cup win over Newcastle on Thursday.
The result sent Everton into a quarter-final against League Two side Fleetwood and kept alive hopes of ending a 31-year wait for a trophy. Before kick-off, Jack Grealish had been left out of the squad over what was understood to be an unauthorised absence from training. The news threatened to distract from a match with a lot at stake. Instead, Hackney and a group of younger teammates helped Everton move on to the next round.
Signed from Middlesbrough for £16.5 million in the summer, Hackney has had to wait for regular opportunities. After starting Everton’s opening match of the season, a 2-0 win against Crystal Palace, he made only one more start before Thursday’s cup tie: the third-round game against Wolves. Against Newcastle, he showed why Everton brought him in. He linked up play, carried the ball forward and got into the box to score. It was only the second time in his career he had scored and assisted in the same match.
Manager David Moyes praised parts of Hackney’s performance but also pointed out areas to improve, including moments when the midfielder was caught on the ball. Moyes said he saw the game as part of helping players move from the Championship, England’s second tier, into the Premier League. The praise and the correction came together: Hackney had made a clear contribution, while still having room to grow.
Everton’s need for young players to step up is not limited to one cup night. Seven of the 10 players signed on permanent deals since Moyes returned in January 2025 are 24 or younger. That includes 22-year-old France Under-21 forward Thierno Barry, who assisted Hackney’s goal. Barry is Everton’s only specialist centre-forward and has played 918 minutes this season. He has scored seven goals, one fewer than his total last season despite playing 30 fewer matches. He has also been involved in 15 of Everton’s 24 big chances, or 62.5 percent.
The wider team is getting younger, too. Everton’s average starting age in the Premier League has fallen by almost 18 months, to 26 years and 216 days. Players aged 21 or younger have already played 1,206 minutes this season, topping the 1,088 minutes they recorded in 2025-26. Harrison Armstrong, 19, has started every league match this season after a loan spell at Preston. Tyler Dibling, 20, and Tyrique George, also 20, have added more young options: George has made five league starts and scored his first Everton goal in a 2-2 draw with Manchester United in September.
The Newcastle win does not guarantee a trophy, and the younger players still have work to do. But with Fleetwood next in the cup and a thin squad to draw on, their growing role could matter well beyond one night. Everton’s next generation has already shown it can help carry the team forward.