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Gareth Barry is confident Everton won’t need to compromise their style in the long term despite a back-to-basics win at Leicester City.

The Blues reaped the rewards of a clear shift in style by earning a 2-0 triumph against the Premier League champions on Boxing Day.

Employing a three-man defence, Ronald Koeman’s side simplified their approach with both goals for Kevin Mirallas and Romelu Lukaku coming as a result of long balls out of defence.

It ensured a second win in three games for the Blues and rebuilt confidence after the shattering last-gaps derby defeat to Liverpool the previous week.

However, Barry believes the manner of victory at the King Power Stadium is not indicative of a permanent change.

“I don’t think we are necessarily going to go down that route,” said the midfielder.

“We’ve had to build up some confidence and hopefully we can take the three points into the game at Hull, settle down a bit earlier in the game and maybe try to play a bit more football and try to break Hull down that way.

“Sometimes in football you find yourself in different situations.

“I wouldn’t say we’re going to have to stick to that style of play (played at Leicester). We can go to Hull with the players we have and have more confidence.”

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Everton travel to the KCOM Stadium on Friday aiming for successive wins for the first time since September.

And of the timely success at Leicester, Barry added: “The performance shows where we are at the minute as a team. We aren’t playing the sort of football where the fans are going to be applauding the passes but this was about getting the three points.

“The gameplan was to be patient. We changed it to three at the back to keep the ball, especially in the first half, to stop them having it and eventually we took one of our chances.

“We defended well overall and they didn’t have too many clear-cut chances.”

Barry, meanwhile, joined in the praise for Ashley Williams for ushering fellow centre-backs Mason Holgate and Ramiro Funes Mori into helping Everton claim only a fourth clean sheet in 18 Prermier League games this season.

“The way they play is very direct and the lads defended very well,” he said. “Ashley, with his experience, he marshalled the two younger boys either side of him really well.

“He deserves a lot of credit for his display.”