Everton have a gleaming £800m stadium but they can be the proof money isn’t everything. In a division of conspicuous consumption, they were a club who struggled to spend. With their transfer-market profit, they finished low down the spending charts. But they are now fifth in the actual table, three points off the top, after an unbeaten start.

If the question is whether that has come by accident or design, the same may be said of Thierno Barry’s winner against Ipswich. An impressive start may have come in spite of some of the powerbrokers at Hill Dickinson Stadium, but because of David Moyes . On days such as this, his virtues and values can feel timeless. His capacity to outperform relatively modest resources and galvanise relatively small squads has been proven time and again. If Everton were written off, they are scripting their own underdog story. “We have tried to turn it into a positive,” said Moyes.

While others confused themselves with spending sprees, Everton are making the most of what they have. After their deadline-day mishaps , Everton only have one striker. For now, anyway, it is all they need as, somehow, Barry scored his fifth goal of the season. Inelegant but effective, Barry may personify Everton.

He ended a four-game drought in unorthodox fashion, and not merely because it featured the rarity of a James Tarkowski volley from 25 yards. It struck Barry in the chest, wrong-footed Christian Walton and rolled in. Was Barry trying to get out of the way or reacting to turn it in? “The goal is fairly unfortunate to go in off the guy’s midriff,” lamented Ipswich manager Gary O’Neil.

Deliberate or not, it will not win Everton’s goal-of-the-season contest, though Ainsley Maitland-Niles may already have that sewn up. A second seemed to follow, Barry glancing a header in from Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s corner. A VAR check later and the presence of the offside Brennan Johnson in front of Walton meant it was ruled out. “It is offside,” said O’Neil. “The goalkeeper would not have saved the header,” noted Moyes.

Barry also headed wide from Maitland-Niles’ cross. “He should have scored his header,” said Moyes. But it is an encouraging sign that Barry gets in plenty of goalscoring positions. It is encouraging, too, that even after selling Iliman Ndiaye, Everton are fashioning opportunities. “Statistically we have been making much more chances,” added Moyes. “Today we had 21 shots and only two on target so that is not any good. But the 21 shots is good.” It is a reason why he deems the start to the season better than expected. “I would have to say yes in a lot of cases,” Moyes concurred. “We have done pretty well.”

Money can form the backdrop to Everton. Ipswich spent almost £200m – albeit from the lower base of being in the Championship last season – and had one of their purchases, Abdul Fatawu, dismissed for diving. Already booked, he invited further punishment by going to ground when not challenged by James Garner. “You can see he is anticipating some contact,” said a forgiving O’Neil. It never came.

Everton found it no easier against 10 than 11 but they held on. There is a defiance, perhaps summed up by Jarrad Branthwaite ’s injury-time block to deny Issa Diop an equaliser. “You have to dig in, that's the Everton way,” said Jordan Pickford . Everton’s unbeaten start to the season speaks to their determination.