Thierno Barry scored his first Everton goal to help his side beat Nottingham Forest 3-0 in the Premeir League at the Hill Dickinson Stadium on Saturday
Thierno Barry after scoring for Everton against Nottingham Forest
Thierno Barry after scoring for Everton against Nottingham Forest(Image: (Richard Martin-Roberts - CameraSport via Getty Images))
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The smile on Thierno Barry’s face told the story. It has been a torturous few months for the forward.
He’s missed sitters, been hooked at half-time and his performances have been a topic of conversation among supporters. But on his 17th appearance for the Blues since he completed his £27m move from Villarreal during the summer transfer window, Barry finally got his first goal for the club in their 3-0 win against Nottingham Forest.
To say the Hill Dickinson Stadium erupted when the forward calmly slotted the ball past Matz Sels would be an understatement.
Barry’s hard work has kept the crowd onside, but if he starts to show composure like he did here, then he will become a fan favourite.
This was the 23-year-old’s sixth successive start since David Moyes decided to put his trust in the Frenchman rather than Beto.
And by the time his goal arrived in the third minute of first-half stoppage time, Everton were already 1-0 up after a fast start.
The last time the Toffees played at home, they were 1-0 down inside the opening minute against Newcastle United, but a week is a long time in football.
And this time it was Everton supporters who were celebrating after Nikola Milenkovic turned the ball into his own net with just 82 seconds of the game gone.
Thierno Barry celebrates after scoring his first goal for Everton against Nottingham Forest
Thierno Barry celebrates after scoring his first goal for Everton against Nottingham Forest
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Forest, to their credit, rallied to the setback, but in first-half stoppage time the killer blow arrived when Everton broke and Barry finished.
Iliman Ndiaye raced clear before he unselfishly squared the ball to his team-mate, who simply couldn't miss.
The forward was still smiling as he headed down the tunnel for the break, and that smile remained when he was addressing the media after the game.
"Today I feel very happy, I can't stop smiling because I scored today,” he said. “Before today, I knew I could score – in the last home game I scored, but VAR ruled it out.
“I went down before the goal, but I knew I had to stay on the pitch and 10 minutes later I scored."
On the goal, his manager said: “I think the crowd have recognised there's an improvement. They think he's got close.
Thierno Barry celebrates scoring his team's second goal during the match between Everton and Nottingham Forest at Hill Dickinson Stadium on December 6, 2025
Thierno Barry celebrates scoring his team's second goal during the match between Everton and Nottingham Forest at Hill Dickinson Stadium on December 6, 2025
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“I have to say, I have to give huge praise to Ili Ndiaye for the weight of his pass. It allowed [Barry] to walk onto it and stroke home at one touch.
“He couldn't have put it any more perfect. It was really, really good play by Ili and obviously a really good finish with Thierno.”
Having already been denied by the post in the second-half, the outstanding Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall then completed the scoring 10 minutes from time.
A fourth win in five games has taken Everton into the European mix, and when asked about the possibility of pushing for a top six finish, Barry revealed: “We don’t have pressure because last season Everton weren’t in Europe, but when I came, the manager said that is the ambition, to get into Europe. The team is working for this."
On pushing for a European place, Moyes admitted: "I'm too old now to say we just want to avoid relegation, but I'm not daft enough to say Europe is possible. I don't think we are quite ready, but we will keep knocking at the door."