Everton 3-0 Nottingham Forest: Highlights, man of the match, stats as Thierno Barry scores first goal in Premier League win

Everton continued their excellent run with a dominant 3-0 Premier League win over Nottingham Forest at the Hill Dickinson Stadium on Saturday.

Both the Toffees and the Tricky Trees came into this game in strong form, and Sean Dyche would have been hoping to prove a point against his former employer.

However, despite the first half featuring few chances overall, David Moyes's Blues went into the break two goals to the good.

The tone was set early on as Everton got on the front foot right from the off, and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall's cross led to an own-goal from Forest defender Nikola Milenkovic.

In fairness to the visitors, they limited their hosts to just two shots on target in the first 45 minutes, though Mamadou Thierno Barry notched his first goal for the club on the counter, doubling the lead seconds before the interval.

The contest remained tense in the second half, but after James Tarkowski denied both Igor Jesus and Nicolas Dominguez with heroic blocks, Dewsbury-Hall added a third late on to secure the win for Everton.

SPORTS MOLE'S VERDICT

Everton had lost just one of their five games ahead of kick off, and now, with four wins from their last five matches, Toffees fans are dreaming of European football at the Hill Dickinson in 2026-27.

The cherry on top of this victory for Moyes is that summer signing Barry finally scored his first goal for the club after 17 appearances, and he looked delighted in doing so.

Everton are now fifth in the Premier League with 24 points, just one shy of fourth-placed Chelsea.

As for Forest, they have enjoyed a strong start to life under Dyche, and came into this game having won four of their last five outings.

The Garibaldis' manager might have been unable to get the better of his former side, and he will be frustrated to have conceded so early into the clash, but the club are three points above the relegation zone as things stand.

That being said, 18th-placed West Ham United and 17th-placed Leeds United are yet to play, and the pair could drop Forest into the bottom three in a worst-case scenario.

EVERTON VS. NOTTINGHAM FOREST HIGHLIGHTS

2nd min: Everton 1-0 Nottingham Forest (Nikola Milenkovic own-goal)

The Toffees work the ball down the left flank to near the touchline, where Dewsbury-Hall chops back onto his right foot and whips a cross into the box.

Unfortunately for the visitors, the cross comes in at an awkward height and Milenkovic accidentally heads into his own goal while trying to clear.

45+3 mins: Everton 2-0 Nottingham Forest (Thierno Barry)

Iliman Ndiaye drives a three-on-one counter attack, and despite having Carlos Alcaraz to his right, he lays it off to Barry on his left upon reaching the edge of the Forest box.

The striker then curves his run and curls a precise finish low into the bottom right corner to score his first Everton goal!

66th min: James Tarkowski (Everton) goal-line block

After Jordan Pickford misses a cross, the Garibaldis' Jesus directs the ball goalward but is unable to beat Tarkowski on the line.

81st min: Everton 3-0 Nottingham Forest (Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall)

James Garner swings a corner towards the far post, and Sels can only parry as far as Jake O'Brien, who lays the ball off to Dewsbury-Hall.

The attacking midfielder then rifles a low effort into the bottom-left corner through a crowded box to seal the points!

MAN OF THE MATCH - KIERNAN DEWSBURY-HALL

Crossing the ball for Milenkovic's own-goal two minutes into the game before sealing the contest with a late strike, Dewsbury-Hall was the key man for Everton from start to finish.

The midfielder has gone from strength-to-strength under Moyes so far, and he could have had two on Saturday if his earlier effort that hit the upright was a shifted a few inches.

EVERTON VS. NOTTINGHAM FOREST MATCH STATS

Possession: Everton 42%-58% Nottingham Forest

Shots: Everton 11-7 Nottingham Forest

Shots on target: Everton 5-3 Nottingham Forest

Corners: Everton 6-3 Nottingham Forest

Fouls: Everton 17-15 Nottingham Forest

BEST STATS

737 minutes and 19 shots later, Thierno Barry has his first Everton goal ?? pic.twitter.com/L8iVk91ddq
— Opta Analyst (@OptaAnalyst) December 6, 2025

WHAT NEXT?

Everton will travel to take on Chelsea at Stamford Bridge next Saturday, while Forest pivot to Europa League action on Thursday, when they face Utrecht at Stadion Galgenwaard.