Nottingham Forest suffered a second successive Premier League defeat as they fell 1-0 at home to Everton on a tough afternoon on the banks of the Trent.
The Reds went into the clash to bounce back from a 2-1 loss at Aston Villa last time out. And they were boosted by the return of striker Chris Wood from a hip injury.
It was the visitors who started the better, however. Matz Sels was twice called into action before the half-hour mark to deal with efforts from Iliman Ndiaye and former Forest midfielder James Garner.Jota Silva had a couple of sights of goal for the Reds in a drab first half but they were comfortable for Toffees goalkeeper Jordan Pickford. Meanwhile, a dipping strike from Morgan Gibbs-White shortly before the break flew wide of the target.It was proving to be hard going for the Champions League chasers. Callum Hudson-Odoi and Jota tried their luck in the second half but the nerves around the stadium were palpable as the hosts continued to come under pressure.
VAR checked for a potential penalty against Murillo on Beto in the dying minutes but the decision went in Forest’s favour. However, a Murillo mistake was then punished right at the death as Abdoulaye Doucoure capitalised to strike a late blow for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side. Here’s how Reds reporter Sarah Clapson rated the Forest players at the City Ground.
Matz Sels: Made some solid saves as he tried to notch up another clean-sheet. It felt like an Everton goal was coming for much of the afternoon, though, and it duly did right at the death. Rating: 6/10Neco Williams: Excellent once again – as he has been for several weeks now. Summed up his performance when he made a brave block to thwart Abdoulaye Doucoure in the second half. Rating: 7.5/10Nikola Milenkovic: Defence was far too overworked for the Reds’ liking as Everton saw more of the ball and put their opponents on the back foot. Needed to stay alert throughout. Rating: 7/10
Murillo: A collective sigh of relief went around the City Ground when a VAR check for a potential penalty against him went in the Reds’ favour. Paid the price for a mistake in the dying minutes. Rating: 5/10
Alex Moreno: Far from the Aston Villa loanee’s best display, and certainly not as accomplished as his last outing when he came on against Manchester United. Too many sloppy touches. Rating: 4.5/10Nicolas Dominguez: More comfortable than he was last weekend, being in his familiar position this time. Effort was there but trying to stamp his authority on the game was difficult. Rating: 6/10Elliot Anderson: A busy performance from the midfielder as he covered a lot of ground and never stopped running. Did his best to try to get Forest going but this was a challenging afternoon all round. Rating: 7.5/10
Jota Silva: Deserved his place in the XI after his second-half display at Villa Park but couldn’t quite force a goal on this occasion. Wasn’t for the want of trying, though, as he had a few opportunities. Rating: 6.5/10
Morgan Gibbs-White: Says a lot when even the England international couldn’t find his usual flashes of quality to light up a difficult afternoon. Never really got going. Rating: 6/10
Callum Hudson-Odoi: Had a few threatening moments, just without his usual cutting edge. Even his trademark cutting inside and letting fly move didn’t come off this time. Rating: 6/10
Chris Wood: A huge boost for the Reds to have their top scorer back fit for the run-in but he struggled to get in the game, having just nine touches of the ball in the first half. Barely got a look-in in front of goal. Rating: 6/10
Subs
Anthony Elanga (for Jota, 58mins): Forest needed someone to supply a spark but even the winger struggled to provide it when he came on. Still, at least his knock against Aston Villa was not a bad one. Rating: 6/10
Ryan Yates (for Dominguez, 75mins): Got involved straight away and did his best to put himself about. This was just not Forest’s day, though. Rating: 6/10
Subs not used: Miguel, Morato, Sangare, Sosa, Danilo, Boly, Abbott.
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