Everton 3 – 0 Nottingham Forest
Everton are at home to Nottingham Forest, with Sean Dyche playing his first game against the club he formerly managed.
The big news for Everton is that Michael Keane, who is living a second life in Everton’s back four this season, is declared fit and returns to the starting line-up. He is the only change, with Tim Iroegbunam suspended after picking up his 5th yellow card of the season.
David Moyes underlines his lack of faith in promoting players from the Academy, with yet again the incomprehensible selection of two substitute goalkeepeers and only six outfield players on the bench, Eli Campbell, the only player from the U21s. Röhl and Branthwaite are both still recovering from operations.
Forest are unchanged.
First Half
The Blues kicked off in time-honoured fashion but was Savona booked after just 25 seconds for his first tackle on Grealish. Garner’s free-kick was cleared but Everton worked it around for a brilliant cross-cum-shot from Dewsbury-Hall that goes in off Milenkovic (own-goal)! 1-0!!!
After that excellent start, Everton kept up the play in Forest’s half. But Tarkowski fouled Igor Jesus but Everton took back the ball and kept pushing up. Dewsbury-Hall twisted and played in Keane who was high up and threatening.
Ndoye got the needles out, Tarkowski objecting to something and shoving him in the back. The Forest player went down as if shot in the face. No repercussions and play eventually resumed albeit with a touch of aggression from the Blues. But Forest persisted, Savona’s cross headed inches wide by Jesus.
Grealish had to join the defence as Forest tried to apply pressure until Dewsbury-Hall was fouled. Everton pressed but it looked like Forest had covered when Williams gifted the ball to Dewsbury-Hall and Sels had to get across to spoon away his powerful goalbound shot.
Barry was winning balls and getting some good touches but Everton went backwards. Ndiaye collected a great crossfield ball but then tripped over it. Grealish and Dewsbury-Hall had to get back and defend.
Barry bounced off Milenkovoc challenging for an aerial ball, and he stayed down but got no call. Dewsbury-Hall released Grealish in space and Mykolenko’s cross was defended behind for a corner. A brilliant Garner corner headed away at the near post, eventually fell to Ndiaye, whose shot was blocked behind by an arm but VAR said no penalty.
Barry went down again after Milenkovic grabbed his arm, which seemed to trigger shoulder pain from his earlier fall. Magic tape required, but to his undershirt and not his shoulder! Ndoye beat Grealish and forced a corner that Everton half-cleared before Milenkovic won another.
The corner was headed out by O’Brien and Hutchinson inadvertently handled the throw-in. Jesus did the same trick from another throw-in but no call.
Mykolenko had no idea what Grealish was planning and failed to overlap. With the game having gone a bit flat, Mykolenko going for a long throw that eventually went back to P{ickford then out off Ndiaye. But the forward build was just not working for the Blues.
Barry’s approach to learning the physicality of the Premier League was to walk into Milenkovic, Forest coming close from the resulting free-kick. Forest kept woorking it around with much more energy than Everton and Anderson came very close to beating Pickford.
But Everton then got a three on one counter, Alcaraz running with Ndiaye playing in Theirno Barry to score his first Everton goal with a fine side-footed shot inside the post, with almost the last action of the first half.
Second Half
Sean Dyche responded with three changes, but the football didn’t show many signs of improving despite the splendid 2-goal lead until Alcaraz had a good run in but under close supervision and unable to pull the trigger.
Forest did get a looping cross in to Jesus but he could only nod it toward Pickford. O’Brien got away with a bodycheck on Morata. Alcaraz got a chance to advance but Milenkovic had other ideas, fouling him from behind.
Free-kick from Garner smacked into the wall, but Grealsih played in a great ball to Garner who passed it to Sels rather than hitting it with sufficient force.
At the other end, Williams almost got through but for a block by Tarkowski. The corner was met by Millenkovic but cleared by Keane. Barry then came across Milenkovic who overacted massively, earning Barry a yellow card to go with his goal.
The hour-mark approached, as did Beto to the touchline, and he got stuck in to some good running and interceptions. The football was still terrible but the Hill Dickinson Stadium was happy beneath the scoreboard.
Everton did their best to gift Forest a goal, Pickford thanking Tarkowski for a fantastic block to save his blushes after a poor punch that fell to Dominguez.
Mykolenko won a free-kick but could not catch Grealish’s forward pass.
There was right old tussle for the ball in midfield, Gibbs-White accused of a raised arm against Dewsbury-Hall but only a free-kick after protestations to the referee.
Garner through he could get Everton playing down the right but drove his cross against a defender, Everton eventually winning a corner off Abbott. Another fantastic delivery from Garner, a second played out toward Grealish but Forest looked to break and Tarkowski had to stop it at the expense of a yellow card.
Alcaraz was the second player to be subbed but not for Tyler Dibling, with McNeil coming on for the last 15+ minutes. McNeil adavnced with the ball and spilled it, coming across to Grealish who advanced and played a great reverse ball for Dewsbury-Hall to smack goalward, clipping the outside of the post. Possibly the best moment of football in the entire half.
Another Eberton corner was clawed away by Sels but it fell off O’Brien to Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall who drilled it through the crowd and into the far corner.
A better move saw Grealish a fraction slow to pick out Beto and he could not convert it when the ball finally came his way.
With Everton finally leading a home game 3-0, Moyes thought it might be okay for Tyler Dibling to be risked for the last 5 minutes.
McNeil swung in a decent cross that Beto flung himself at, diverting it away from Dibling and past the far post.
O’Brien was booked for a robust tackle in the final minute, Hudson-Odoi skying the free-kick high over Pickford’s goal before the Hill Dickinson Stadium could celebrate in fine style a momentous win over Dyche the Dinosaur and his team that they strongly out-muscled.
Everton: Pickford, O’Brien [Y:90+3′], Tarkowski [Y:73′], Keane, Mykolenko [Y:84′], Garner, Dewsbury-Hall, Ndiaye, Alcaraz (73′ McNeil), Grealish (86′ Dibling), Barry [Y:57′] (62′ Beto).
Subs not Used: Travers, King, Patterson, Aznou, Campbell.
Nottingham Forest: Sels, Savona [Y:1′] (46′ Abbott), Milenkovic [Y:54′], Morato [Y45+3′], Williams, Sangare (46′ Yates (63′ Dominguez)), Anderson, Ndoye (46′ Hudson-Odoi), Gibbs-White, Hutchinson, Igor Jesus.
Subs not Used: John Victor, Kalimuendo, Jair Cunha, McAtee, Boly.
Referee: Christopher Kavanagh (England)
Attendance: 52,501