Everton returned to the brand spanking new comforts of the Hill Dickinson Stadium after another fruitful away trip, this time to Bournemouth. Everton were sitting in 10th, six places above Forest who have started to put some results together, although their midweek result was a disappointing home loss to Brighton. Forest’s season has been more like previous iterations of Everton as they are now on their third manager of the season and were just four points above the relegation zone.
That third manager
is none other than Sean Dyche who was brought in to get Forest back on track after an abysmal start. Our former manager has had an impressive record of 5 wins, 2 draws, and 2 losses in his first nine matches across all competitions since his arrival on October 21st.
Team News
The suspension of Tim Iroegbunam forced Moyes into another change. However, the return of Michael Keane was the big news. The dominoes fell with Keane pushing O’Brien into the right back role and Garner moving into Iroegbunam’s place in the middle. Charly Alcaraz and Thierno Barry had another chance to impress.
Sean Dyche stuck with the same team that beat Wolves in midweek. Murillo was still missing but Morgan Gibbs-White was able to recover in time to start.
Match Report
Chris Kavanagh was the man in the middle and it was his whistle that got the game underway. An early break forward by Jack Grealish saw him taken down by Savona who was given a yellow card after only 22 seconds into the match. The resulting free kick by Dewsbury-Hall was recycled and KDH curled a ball into the box and it deflected off the head of Milenkovic and ended up in the back of the Forest net.
Charly Alcaraz looked up for it as he was doing a good job pressuring the impressive Elliott Anderson. Forest were struggling to get on the ball. A nice ball over the top saw Michael Keane the furthest forward but the ball deflected out of play.
Some handbags off the ball saw Tarkowski push Ndoye in the back causing the Forest player fall to the ground holding his face. Pathetic. Forest were starting to get on the ball and when Hutchison delivered a nice ball into the box, Jesus could not get his header on the net.
Some good pressure by the Blues saw Neco Williams drive the ball into the middle which gave KDH a chance to drive the ball goalward. The shot was parried away by Sels. The holdup play of Barry was appreciated by the Evertonians.
Thierno Barry was on the floor after being manhandled by Morato. A good move by Grealish forced a corner which brought the big boys forward. Garner delivered the corner which fell to Ndiaye who blasted the ball goalward but Williams was in the way to blocked. No penalty given by VAR which would have been harsh on Forest.
Forest started to get the ball in the Everton’s end and some good defending nullified a couple of Forest corners. Everton then had a good spell of possession. Grealish was starting to get on the ball more which was encouraging. Although it was Forest who had the next chance as Ndoye lobbed the ball over the top which was met on the volley by Gibbs-White but Pickford handled it easily.
Three additional minutes was announced as Everton were attempting to get to halftime with the lead. Forest kept streaming forward but they were repelled when Anderson forced a good save from Pickford. A quick counter attack from Iliman Ndiaye delivered the moment that everyone had waited for as Thierno Barry scored his first goal for the club.
The rain started to throw it down as the second half started. Three changes for Sean Dyche with Hudson Odoi, Yates and Abbott were brought on with Savona, Sangare and Ndoye coming off. Forest clearly wanted to get on the front foot but the Blues were hounding them at every turn.
A great counter attack and nice touch by Barry back to Alcaraz forced a foul by Milenkovic on the edge of the Forest box. Garner, KDH and Alcaraz all considered taking it but it was Garner who drove the ball and when Grealish picked up the parried save, he passed it to Garner who forced a good save from Sels.
Seconds later, Forest were going forward and when Everton’s defenders dithered, Williams pounced on it and forced a great block by Tarkowski. The resulting corner was headed by Milenkovic but Keane was in the way to prevent the goal.
Barry and Milenkovic had been at it all afternoon and when the defender went down, it was Barry who was given a yellow card for the foul. Barry needed to be calmed down by Tarkowski. Beto was stripped and ready to go when Yates went down and was forced to go off. The Everton change was made and the Evertonians rose to show their appreciation for the French striker.
Tarkowski was at it again when Pickford made an incredible gaff which required the big defender to block a certain goal for Dominguez. It was getting a little spicy when KDH and Gibbs-White were fighting for the ball and working hard to wrestle the ball from each other.
Everton were pushing for a third as the Evertonians raised their voices. A yellow card for Tarkowski for breaking up a Forest counter attack. The legs in the middle were fading so Moyes removed Alcaraz and brought on McNeil who was tasked to work hard and break up the Forest midfield play. A nice interception by KDH was laid off to Grealish who passed it back to the middle and Dewsbury-Hall’s shot hit the outside of the post.
Everton were pressing and when Ndiaye cut into the middle he forced a great save from Sels. Another corner was delivered by Garner and when Sels pushed the ball into the path of O’Brien, he slammed the ball hard and low into the far corner. Toffee jubilation!
Grealish then tippy tapped down the left and slid a ball to Beto but he could not get it past the defender. “Spirit of the Blues” rang out around the Hill Dickinson. Mykolenko was given a yellow card for a challenge on Hutchison. Grealish was then withdrawn and Tyler Dibling entered the fray for the final five minutes. A lovely ball from McNeil was met by Beto but his header went narrowly wide.
That was the last real chance as the Blues saw out the final minutes to secure the three points. Another hearty rendition of “Spirit of the Blues” was delivered as the Everton players applauded the fans for their spectacular support.
Everton’s Man of the Match
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall: A great start from the Blues saw KDH curl a cross into the danger zone and when Milenkovic ducked to head the ball clear he merely sent it into his own net. It was the all-action start Everton needed and his work throughout the game knitting the attack together and defending with gusto. His goal in the final ten minutes was more than well deserved. An all round top match for the former Chelsea and Leicester City man who can’t stop scoring!
Instant Reaction
With the win, Everton are sitting pretty in 5th place, though only six points separate 4th and 14th right now. After their fourth win in five matches, the Blues are on a roll and the positive outlook continues to grow. An all-round solid performance going forward and defending was well received by Evertonians. What was also impressive was the contribution of the substitutes when they were brought on in the second half. There was no dip in effort or quality when Beto, McNeil, and Dibling were introduced.
In his 17th appearance since signing in the summer, Thierno Barry was finally on the score sheet. His reaction of relief, and the joy that was shared by his teammates and the fans was magical. Evertonians love it when hard work and effort is on display and that has always been true for Barry. The monkey is off his back and now it is time for him to kick on. His confidence has grown as Moyes continued to play him which was necessary for the young lad.
Sean Dyche returned to face his former employer and was given a mixed reception by the Evertonians. Much like his time at the helm of the Blues, there were those who were frustrated by the gravel mouthed gaffer and appreciation for steering us through some of our most troublesome periods of our club’s history. The all action display by his former team was in stark contrast to the dull, pedantic football that was on offer when he was in our dugout.
