Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall celebrates after scoring for Everton against Nottingham Forest
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall celebrates after scoring for Everton against Nottingham Forest
There was no Mersey double for Sean Dyche, as just a fortnight after Nottingham Forest triumphed 3-0 over Premier League champions Liverpool at Anfield, his side were smashed by previous employers by the same scoreline at Hill Dickinson Stadium.
The Blues went ahead less than two minutes into the contest when shot was deflected into the net by Forest defender Nikola Milenkovic, and having started the half brightly, men then added a second in stoppage time as Iliman Ndiaye fed striker for his first goal since a £27million move from Villarreal in July.
Dyche responded by making a triple substitution at the start of the second half, but after surviving a defensive mix-up when Jordan Pickford failed to take a cross,extended their lead 10 minutes from the end as Dewsbury-Hall fired in a right-foot effort from the edge of the area as the Blues – for the time being at least – moved up into fifth place in a congested Premier League table.
Jordan Pickford 7
Survived a second half mix-up when he failed to take a cross, leading to a goalmouth scramble having earlier done well to get down low to his left to keep out Elliot Anderson’s shot in first half stoppage time.
Jake O’Brien 7
Produced a dominant display at centre-back against Bournemouth but looked more hesitant at right-back, allowing Igor Jesus to beat him easily with a back post header that flashed wide, although he did well to pick out Dewsbury-Hall for his goal before being booked in stoppage time for pulling Neco Williams back.
Vitalii Mykolenko 6
Had his hands full with Morgan Gibbs-White down his side of the pitch which has restricted forays forward but hung in defensively, although he was booked late on for chopping down Omari Hutchinson.
James Tarkowski 7
Got his goalkeeper out of jail in a second half scramble having also made a crucial challenge on Neco Williams, although he was fortunate not to have been punished when he got himself into an unnecessary spat off the ball, bumping Dan Ndoye in the back early on.
Michael Keane 7
Back in the heart of defence after missing the trip to the Vitality Stadium through injury, he had an early chance on his left foot but couldn’t get it on target, although he stood up well to an aerial bombardment at the other end.
James Garner 7
Restored to his preferred central midfield role with and Tim Iroegbunam both suspended, he was an energetic figure in the engine room and could have added a third goal when picked out by Grealish but shot too close to Matz Sels.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall 9
Bright from the start against his home city club, he bagged what should be his third goal in less than a fortnight – it has gone down as an oggy for Nikola Milenkovic – with a shot from a tight angle less than two minutes into the contest and remained clever and energetic on the ball, forcing Matz Seis to spill a shot and then clipping the post with a second half effort before finally deservedly getting himself on the scoresheet with a right-foot shot from the edge of the area.
Iliman Ndiaye 7
Had been quiet for most of the first half but sprang into life with a terrific run in stoppage time to tee up Barry for his first goal, even if the pass was a touch short, always providing an outlet for his side and forcing Seis into a smart fingertip save late on with a curling left-foot effort.
Charly Alcaraz 6
Buzzed around in the most advanced central midfield role, his best work was off the ball, and didn’t entirely take his chance here to impress the manager.
Jack Grealish 6
A mixed bag from most talented performer as he had Forest on the back foot from the start, forcing Nicola Savona into a booking with his first challenge of the match and worked a nice opening for Garner’s chance, but also made the wrong decision on the ball on several occasions which is very unlike him.
Thierno Barry 7
Finally broke his Everton scoring duck with a cool right foot finish after a determined run, after not getting much change out of Forest’s muscular defenders, you could see the relief on his face and he worked hard throughout before making way shortly after his booking for a shove on Milenkovic.
Substitutes
Beto (on 62 for Barry) 6
Worked hard after coming on, but his big moment was getting a big cheer for closing down Milenkovic and the ball going out for a goal kick.
Dwight McNeil (on 73 for Alcaraz) 6
Kept things ticking over.
Tyler Dibling (on 85 for Grealish)
Late cameo.