Everton claimed a 2-0 victory at the City Ground, moving into the Premier League’s top half and leaving Nottingham Forest with a third straight defeat, as James Garner scored once and assisted once to give Sean Dyche’s depleted side a valuable cushion of four points above the bottom three.
Garner struck first against the club where Garner previously spent a loan spell, finishing calmly on 19 minutes after timing a forward run onto Dwight McNeil’s precise pass, before later releasing Thierno Barry to seal the win for an Everton team missing several regular first-team players on 30 December 2025.
After falling behind, Forest tried to respond through a series of crosses and set-pieces, yet James Tarkowski and Jake O’Brien stood firm in central defence,
limiting clear sights of goal and ensuring Jordan Pickford faced little direct danger despite concerted pressure from the hosts throughout long spells of the contest.
The home side’s best chance before Barry’s strike fell to Igor Jesus early in the second half, but the effort went begging, and not long after Tarkowski headed wide from close range, Garner spun cleverly away from a marker and slid a neat through-ball into Barry, who finished confidently for a second Everton goal, both scored against Forest.
Forest produced more attempts overall, registering 21 shots to Everton’s 11, and generated an expected goals figure of 1.90 compared to the visitors’ 1.44, yet Everton created three big chances to Forest’s two, which underlined how Dyche’s side made better use of key attacking opportunities despite spending long periods without the ball.
That pattern continued late on, when Morgan Gibbs-White and Dilane Bakwa each threatened to halve the deficit, but neither chance brought a response for Forest, allowing Everton to close out the match with relative control, maintain the two-goal margin, and strengthen a growing reputation for resilience in difficult away fixtures.
Everton vs Nottingham Forest: form, clean sheets and Garner impact
This result ended Everton’s run of three Premier League matches without a win and also meant Everton have now won five of their last six away league games when holding a half-time lead, drawing the other, highlighting how Dyche’s side manage advantages effectively once ahead on their travels.
At the back, Tarkowski and O’Brien again impressed for Moyes’ side in the statistical breakdown, with Everton recording an eighth clean sheet from 19 league fixtures, the second-highest tally in the division behind leaders Arsenal, who have ten, while Pickford remained largely untested thanks to strong defensive positioning in front.
Garner’s display stood out across the data, with the midfielder winning eight of nine duels in addition to the goal and assist, taking Garner’s Premier League contribution this season to five goal involvements, made up of two goals and three assists, which already marks Garner’s most productive campaign in the competition.
FT. Up the tricky Toffees!!!! [0-2] #NFOEVE pic.twitter.com/6onlohUro5Everton (@Everton) December 30, 2025
Overall, Everton leave the City Ground with three points, another clean sheet and improved league position, while Forest reflect on a third consecutive defeat in which greater shot volume and a higher xG figure did not translate into goals, underlining the fine margins that continue to shape their Premier League campaign.
