The smile on Thierno Barry's face said it all.

In his 17th game in an Everton shirt, summer signing Barry finally got his first goal for the club in Saturday's 3-0 win against Nottingham Forest.

The striker rolled in the Toffees' second after a quick counter-attack and wheeled away to celebrate a moment he might have started fearing would never come.

The goal came in the third minute of first-half stoppage time and Barry was still smiling as he headed down the tunnel when the whistle was blown a couple of minutes later.

"I was as pleased for the supporters to see him score, as well as for him," Everton boss David Moyes said.

"I think every Evertonian wanted him to score. I have to say the crowd has given him incredible support, and that gives [players] incredible energy.

"His goal was great for him because he has earned it."

Barry was brought in by Moyes in the summer from Villarreal, replacing the departed Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

His record in Spain's top flight had been decent with 11 goals from 35 games, but the transition to the Premier League has proven difficult.

Prior to the Forest game he had managed just one shot on target in 16 games - the sort of record that would generally have fans questioning the wisdom of such a player leading their line.

However, Barry is popular among Everton fans for his other contributions, such as his work rate and ability to win headers, the only thing that was missing was goals.

Until now.

His finish, taken in such a composed manner that you could have been fooled into thinking it was his 15th of the season, seemed to be celebrated that bit more loudly than normal among the home supporters. They no doubt shared Barry's sense of elation and relief.

The goal came from the 19th shot he has attempted for Everton and was his first strike since netting for Villarreal against Osasuna in La Liga in May.

The 23-year-old also went off to a big standing ovation when he was replaced by Beto - another player who has been struggling for goals - in the second half.

But while Barry's all-round play is appreciated by fans, a striker is ultimately judged on goals. The longer his barren run went on, the more the pressure had increased on him.

"It's huge for him, and it was coming - it was certainly due," Moyes told BBC Match of the Day.

"He's got to score, when you're playing centre-forward, otherwise we will find someone to replace him."

There are some things that are meant to just go together - bread and butter, fish and chips and, clearly, Everton and David Moyes.

The 62-year-old returned for his second spell at the club in January, replacing the man who now leads Forest - Sean Dyche.

Since coming back, Moyes has turned Everton from the relegation battlers they have been in recent seasons to a side now contending for European football.

With 15 victories from 36 games, Moyes has a win percentage that is similar to his first spell (41.67% now compared to 42.08%), suggesting he has effectively picked up from where he left off when he departed for Manchester United 12 years ago.

But the Scot has been a manager long enough to know that now is not the time to get carried away over what Everton could potentially achieve this season.

"I want to be positive, I want to say we will try and attempt to get close to Europe," he said.

"We are not a side yet who will win games all the time, but we are making good progress."