Thierno Barry must absolutely love playing against Nottingham Forest as he netted his second Everton goal on Tuesday evening.
Given the injury woes Everton went into the game with, it was a real hearty performance from the Toffees at the City Ground.
David Moyes must be absolutely delighted to be taking three points back to Merseyside as the Blues sign off 2025 with another away win.
With just one goal to his name this season, Barry doubled his tally in the second half, having netted his first goal for Everton against Sean Dyche’s side.
The Frenchman did not steal the headlines, though, with James Garner excelling for Everton once again.
After the game, the 23-year-old striker did shed some light on a clear demand he made to Garner ahead of the game against Forest.
What Thierno Barry asked James Garner to do in Forest vs Everton
Interestingly, in his pre-match press conference, Moyes insisted Barry was not playing well enough for Everton.
One goal before the trip to the City Ground simply was not good enough, but he was able to double his tally on the back of Garner’s sublime assist.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the game, Barry shared the tactical demand he asked of Garner to try and get a sight on goal.
How are you feeling about Thierno Barry after THAT performance? 🤔
A big display from the summer signing! 👏
“Always I tell Jimmy to play higher up to give me a good pass. And today he gave me the good assist. So, he deserves it [Man of the Match],” said Barry.
Barry also joked that he wished he could play Forest every week.
It has been suggested that Moyes is fixated on adding another striker in the January transfer window.
Although more goals are certainly still needed, it will be a huge boost to see Barry end the calendar year with another goal to his name.
David Moyes delighted with Barry’s performance vs Forest
Barry has insisted he wants to model his game on Kylian Mbappe as he aims for big improvements on Merseyside.
He may have struggled in front of goal, but the 23-year-old’s attitude and work rate cannot be denied.
Even before finding the back of the net, Barry showed a lot of grit playing the thankless task of the lone striker for the Blues.
How can you pick JUST one player as your MOTM vs Forest? 🤯
What a brilliant performance from the Toffees!
After the game, Moyes admitted he was thrilled with what he saw from his summer signing.
“You should see my relief when he scored as well! He’s getting better, doing a lot of things we like,” Moyes said.
“We hope he can keep getting the goals.”
The January transfer window is going to need more goals adding to the side, but there are some positive signs surrounding the striker’s potential.
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