Precious points slip through Everton's fingers at Forest

Forest 2 - 2 Everton

With Everton having lost at home to Aston Villa and failed to get anything from their trips to Liverpool and Arsenal, an awful lot had been placed on this fixture at the City Ground. In the context of the need to keep as many clubs down there with them in the relegation dogfight, this was a game the Blues could not lose; in view of their need for points, particularly having played a game more than anyone else around them, it was one they really needed to win.

It’s very difficult, then, not to feel massively disappointed and frustrated that, having twice been ahead, Everton passed up this chance to collect a precious victory against a rival to beat the drop. Everton don’t score twice very often (indeed, they hadn’t managed more than one in a game since October) but today, on the back of a pleasingly up-tempo and tenacious first-half performance, they got their noses in front on two occasions. Unfortunately, they couldn’t either kill Nottingham Forest off or, at least, see the game out at 2-1.

Instead, while there was much to admire about the Toffees going forward, worrying defensive shortcomings persist, regardless of the personnel involved. Once more, they were the architects of their own downfall with 13 minutes to go as Abdoulaye Doucouré, the scorer of the winning goal to that point, attempted a sloppy blind pass in his own half, the ball was picked off and Brennan Johnson scored for the third time against Everton this season to grab a point for the hosts.

It provided, sadly, another reminder of the kind of quality and clinical finishing that Everton are lacking in forward areas. Where Johnson steered an impressive finish well beyond the reach of Jordan Pickford for his second equaliser, Demarai Gray, so composed when he had originally put the Blues ahead from the penalty spot in the 10th minute, snatched at a terrific chance in first-half stoppage and wasted the opportunity to make it 3-1.

On the whole, though, Gray’s inclusion at the expense of Neal Maupay, was the right one regardless of the Frenchman’s fruitless industry in the previous two games. The Blues’ #11 is quicker, more skilful on the ball and, importantly, is able to take the ball forward even if he isn’t quite as strong holding it up. And he takes a decent penalty.

What appears to be the imminent return of Dominic Calvert-Lewin will make for an interesting selection dilemma for Sean Dyche in terms of his attack but at the back he is still searching for a reliable partnership and some solidity in front of his back four.

He persisted with Michael Keane alongside James Tarkowski but the former got sucked into the hole left by Idrissa Gueye and Amadou Onana outside Everton’s box which allowed Forest to play around him and engineer their first leveller. And Keane dropped too far towards his own goal as Johnson collected a cross from the right which gave the young Welshman the space he needed.

Perhaps the biggest question on the day, though, was why Dyche waited so long to replace some visibly tired legs and minds in the closing stages. Maupay and, inexplicably, Tom Davies weren’t introduced until the 89th minute, by which time the lead had irrevocably been lost. The manager would, no doubt, cite a shortage of quality options but the “Moyes sub” — or even the Ancelotti move — option of throwing Yerry Mina on as a third centre-half to shore things was there but it wasn’t taken. Perhaps he felt his team were comfortable but one of Steve Cooper’s changes reaped dividends for him.

Everton started on the front foot, looking the more confident and assured of the two teams in the early going and after Dwight McNeil had fired a speculative effort well over, Gray was handed the chance to put the visitors ahead in the 10th minute from the penalty spot.

The ball wouldn’t drop for Doucouré in the box but it fell to McNeil who was tripped by Jonjo Shelvey just inside the penalty area and referee John Brooks pointed to the spot, from which Gray made no mistake, sweeping it past Keylor Navas from 12 yards.

The lead last just nine minutes, however, as Everton were carved open through the middle by a one-two exchange between Morgan Gibbs-White and Chris Wood, with Pickford making a smart one-handed save but he was only able to push the former’s shot into the path of Johnson who turned it past the prone goalkeeper.

A minute later, a header by Woods deflected off Tarkowski and dropped onto the roof of the net while at the other end, vociferous appeals for a penalty from Seamus Coleman were waved away after Jack Colback stepped across him in the box and forced the Irishman to kick the former Magpie’s standing leg as he tried to make contact with the ball.

The Toffees restored their lead in the 29th minute, though, with a nicely-worked set-piece move that saw a free-kick driven out to the right flank where Tarkowski headed it into the area, Keane nodded it on and Doucouré stole past his man to head it past Navas and make it 2-1.

McNeil prompted Navas into finger-tipping a rasping effort over the bar five minutes before the break but Everton had an excellent chance to make it 3-1 in stoppage time but Gray lacked conviction when the ball sat up for him in front of goal, and he could only side-foot weakly at a defender who easily blocked the shot.

Where Everton had been fairly impressive at times in the first half despite a curiously anonymous performance from Amadou Onana, they allowed themselves to get dragged into a scrap in the second period and they didn’t really threaten Forest’s rearguard until 20 minutes from the end when a much-improved Idrissa Gueye had the chance to cut it back from byline but his pass was comfortably cut out.

In the interim, a rash of yellow cards had threatened to see at least one side end the contest with fewer men than with they had started and Forest’s only threats seemed to come from set-pieces with which Everton were dealing comfortably despite the aerial presence of Wood.

The Blues failed to adequately manage the game, though, and when Doucouré’s all-advised pass inside was intercepted and substitute Andy Yates fed the ball to Johnson, the young Welsh winger stroked a shot into the top corner with his left foot that gave Pickford no chance.

The Everton keeper had to be alert in the 82nd and 84th minutes to, firstly, save from sub André Ayew and then divert a Johnson cross away from danger with an out-stretched leg while Dyche threw Maupay on for the final few minutes of injury time but there would be no further chances to collect what would have been three precious points.

There is obviously mounting concern among Evertonians that the team is rapidly running out of games from which to pick up the points that will save them from relegation for a second season running and that this was another failure to win a “six-pointer” down the bottom against a poor side.

While the defensive weaknesses are worrying, there were positives to take from this performance to go with a point on the road that keeps Forest within four points. On this evidence, the Blues are without question playing for themselves, the fans and the badge and with more belief. They are also getting more often, putting more men in the box and generally threatening the opposition goal more than at any time during the last three months of Frank Lampard’s tenure.

That is a platform from which to continue getting better from an attacking viewpoint, being more clinical in front of goal and more purposeful in the final third, particularly when trying to increase a lead, something that continues to elude the players.

Next weekend’s visit of a very tricky Brentford outfit appears a little daunting given the two points dropped today against an inferior team to the Bees — albeit one that hasn’t lost at the City Ground since September — but, as Dyche is no doubt reminding the players on a weekly basis, it’s one game at a time.

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