Garner returned to haunt his former club with a goal and an assist in a comfortable victory at the City Ground.

The midfielder spent a season-and-a-half on loan at Forest, helping them win promotion to the Premier League, but there was no room for sentiment as he scored one and made Thierno Barry’s second after the break in a virtuoso display.

Moyes said: “He was fantastic. I think his goal was terrific. The second goal, he did great, he wriggled out of a tight situation and played a good pass. Jimmy played terrifically well.

“I think he’s hugely developed as an individual. When I came in, I still saw a bit of a boy and I think I now see someone who’s turning into a really good leader as well, beginning to take a bit more responsibility and grow up and begin to start to act like a real midfield player.

“He wants to take responsibility, happy to come up against the best players. He’s come up against a couple of really good players in (Elliot) Anderson and (Morgan) Gibbs-White, so I thought he looked as good as anybody tonight.”

Garner is out of contract at the end of the season, but Moyes is relaxed, adding: “I am quite comfortable. I don’t know (about January), but I am comfortable with the situation.”

The win also pours more misery on their former boss Sean Dyche, whose side just cannot pull away from relegation danger.

Things looked on the up when they beat Tottenham 3-0 in mid-December, but three successive losses leaves them teetering in 17th position, just four points above West Ham, who they visit next week.

Only Wolves have scored fewer goals than Forest in the Premier League this season and they were restricted to another shut out.

Dyche said: “Disappointed. It happened to us at Fulham, a pretty dominant performance statistically. Here, very dominant stats, but stats don’t win games.

“Everton didn’t have the ball but they defended very well. They scored two good goals from their point of view, but poor goals from our point of view.

“It’s not good enough just dominating games with the ball, you have to have the edge to score goals. It is one of those challenging situations of finding the balance of mixing our play to be effective but also playing in a way that we think is suited to the players.

“We are still working that out, I think.

“Lots of passes and lots of crosses but they were not in massive trouble.

“We had plenty of the ball and got into key areas, we created moments but not really that killer moment. That is really frustrating after being the dominant side, but goals win games and we didn’t find a goal.”