Everton are bouncing into their game against Nottingham Forest on the back of a seriously impressive win against Bournemouth.
David Moyes needed a big response from his players after the thumping last weekend at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
And that is exactly what he got from his Everton side, but there are some issues developing ahead of the game against Forest.
Michael Keane missed the Bournemouth game through injury and he will not be returning this weekend to face Sean Dyche’s side.
There is also Idrissa Gana Gueye who is serving the second of his three game suspension following his sending off last month.
Speaking ahead of Forest’s visit, Moyes has admitted there was one player who did annoy him during that impressive win on the south coast.
Bournemouth v Everton - Premier League
Photo by Robin Jones – AFC Bournemouth/AFC Bournemouth via Getty Images
How Everton’s Tim Iroegbunam really annoyed David Moyes
Tim Iroegbunam picked up his fifth yellow card of the season, which will see him miss the game on Saturday against Forest.
This is the worst possible news for Moyes, who is already dealing with a developing injury and suspension crisis on Merseyside.
MORE EVERTON STORIES
During his pre-Forest press conference on Friday, the 62-year-old shared his frustration with Iroegbunam.
“I’m pleased for Tim because he played really well for us and he got better as the game went on as well,” said Moyes.
How is David Moyes going to get around possibly missing Michael Keane with all of these midfield absences? 😩
“I’m not sure yet if he’s going to be right. He’s played against Newcastle with an injury and he couldn’t quite make it. I’m not sure if he’s going to make it or not.”
David Moyes on Michael Keane’s availability for Nottingham Forest.
👇 Join the debate; share your insight. Use the comment button on the bottom left to have your say
“He’s been up and down a little bit, but someone who we really like. We think there’s a player in there somewhere. Maybe the more games he gets, the more he will adapt and get used to it.
“Disappointing that we lost him. I was annoyed actually at him getting booked early in the game. I was more concerned about how he would see himself through the Bournemouth game, but he managed himself very well.”
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall was so impressed with Iroegbunam’s display after he played most of the game on the warning.
But the yellow card is now going to really stretch his manager’s options given the growing list of players unavailable for the meeting with Dyche.
James Garner is walking suspension tight rope at Everton
Already this season, Everton lost Dewsbury-Hall to a one-game suspension for his own build-up of yellow cards.
There was a lot of frustration around some of the refereeing decisions that built up to his five yellow cards.
Why do you think Everton are receiving SO MANY yellow cards this season? 😫
An overview of Everton's disciplinary record for the 2025/26 campaign.
Credit: Getty Images/Alex Burstow.
👇 Join the debate; share your insight. Use the comment button on the bottom left to have your say
And it is James Garner who now needs to tread very carefully as he is just one yellow card away from his own ban.
Clearly, it is the midfield players who have been most affected by the bookings this season, which has not helped Moyes’ case.
A busy run of fixtures lies ahead for Everton over the coming weeks and the last thing the Blues need is to be missing Garner.
Join Our Newsletter
Receive a digest of our best Everton content each week direct to your mailbox