Key occasions
83 min: Forest stream ahead on the counter. Gibbs-White finds Elanga with a measured cross. Elanga has house on the left, and a sight of purpose, however Pickford reveals his price by speeding off his line and smothering the ball. Good goalkeeping.
82 min: Beto comes off for Everton, Youssef Chermiti comes on. For Forest, Harry Toffolo off, and right here comes Divock Origi. Can he get Forest out of jail?
80 min: Felipe fouls Beto. Once more it’s cynical. However there is no such thing as a second reserving. Dyche, on the touchline, and Tarkowski on the pitch make their emotions recognized to the referee, Paul Tierney. The free-kick involves nought.
78 min: Hudson-Odoi appears to be like to slip a cross by means of to Aurier, however Aurier doesn’t learn it. Forest quickly assault down the alternative flank and Yates has a first-time shot from the sting of the field which is blocked. A little bit of attacking momentum is constructing for Forest now.
75 min: Branthwaite and Pickford appear to bask in a little bit of time-wasting with some obvious confusion over which ball to make use of earlier than a goal-kick. The referee warns Pickford – however there is no such thing as a card. The noise ranges are growing on the Metropolis Floor however the gamers on the pitch can’t appear to exert any sustained strain on the Everton purpose.
73 min: Elanga pops up in the precise channel for Forest and chases a ball to the byline. He tries to cross, or shoot, but it surely goes out for a nook. From that ensuing set piece there’s a VAR test for a handball by Doucoure however once more Everton survive the attentions of the individuals at Stockley Park.
70 min: Forest have 20 minutes to salvage one thing however in fact they’ve hardly troubled the Everton again line. If it does find yourself being three factors for Everton, Cooper will definitely level to that VAR evaluate when it was determined that Doucoure had not fouled Yates within the space.
Purpose! Nottingham Forest 0-1 Everton (McNeil 67)
Proper within the high nook! From the midway line, Pickford drills a free-kick throughout the sector, excessive and deep into the hosts’ territory. Forest are back-pedalling they usually half-clear it, however Harrison does nicely for Everton to collect the ball, change passes with a teammate and clip over a cross that Beto tries to move – however he can’t attain it. That seems to be factor for Everton when McNeil takes a contact on the far submit, earlier than burying a sensational end into the highest nook from an angle. Energy, precision, and a deserved lead for Everton. He actually obtained maintain of that, it was lovely approach, and Vlachodimos had no likelihood.
66 min: Callum Hudson-Odoi comes on for Forest.
65 min: Forest break. Elanga does nicely to chop inside and discover Gibbs-White on the opposite facet of the pitch. Gibbs-White tries a nuanced little cross to the far submit but it surely bounces harmlessly away.
61 min: Everton stay camped in Forest’s half. Actually camped of their half? No, they’ve not but pitched a tent and fired up the fuel range, however they’re having all of the ball and many of the territory.
Forest are standing agency, although, they usually cut back Beto to an optimistic effort from the sting of the field. It’s one other terrible try: he by no means appears to be like remotely prone to bother the scorers with a shot that balloons excessive and nicely, nicely large.
59 min: Forest are firmly on the again foot. Which suggests, you see, that Everton are firmly on the entrance foot.
On the telly they replay the Doucoure pull on Yates, which does very a lot appear to be a foul.
58 min: “Liable to placing a hex on the Toffees, I reckon they’ve sufficient talent, model, and panache to get a stomp on and transfer to security by finish of February,” emails Invoice. “They’re used to those thrilling heroics on the unsuitable finish of the desk, however have sufficient about them to grind these video games out higher than these above them. It isn’t too far a niche. There’s going to be Premiership soccer at Bramley Dock when it’s completed.”
55 min: Felipe is booked for a cynical pull on McNeil. Younger bangs the free-kick goalwards however Yates jumps up within the wall and clears together with his bonce.
53 min: Yates sprays a cross out to Gibbs-White on the precise. Forest proceed to lack any actual leading edge in assault however the former Wolves participant does nicely to win a nook regardless of being remoted. There’s a scramble within the penalty space, with Elanga hitting a shot from the far submit, after which Felipe drilling a shot which cannons out and away off the skin of a submit! VAR is checking for a penalty after a pull by Doucoure on Yates because the ball came visiting … it appears to be like to be very a lot in “seen them given” territory, however the VAR says nothing doing.
49 min: Elanga wins one other free-kick for Forest on their left wing. Gibbs-White to take. It’s a superb supply, whipped with tempo into the six-yard field, however Branthwaite meets it with an equally wonderful defensive header and Everton can clear.
48 min: Forest’s central midfielders should not snapping into tackles with the identical enthusiasm as Everton’s. As well as, they give the impression of being comparatively disjointed once they do win possession, whereas Everton are displaying glimpses of attacking fluidity.
46 min: The Forest followers, warmed by their half-time Bovril, are in effective voice initially of the second half. However can the group actually give them one thing to sing about?
Second-half kick-off!
Willy Boly off, Felipe on for Forest at half-time.
Half time! Nottingham Forest 0-0 Everton
On the high of their broadcast, Sky Sports activities knowledgeable us that Forest final beat Everton on the Metropolis Floor in 1995. That winless run appears to be like set to proceed at this fee …
45 min + 4: Forest have a uncommon sight of purpose – Sangare lays off to Gibbs-White, who chooses to go together with energy and purpose for the close to submit. However he will get it unsuitable and the ball flies large. Everton then have one other likelihood when a ball ricochets off a Forest physique. Doucoure is bearing down on purpose however overhits a cross, and that’s the lot for the primary half.
45 min +2: Really, within the dwell desk, Everton are second-bottom. If this stays 0-0, the purpose would put them above Sheffield United, who’ve a ridiculous purpose distinction of -28.
45 min: We’ll have 5 minutes of added time on the finish of the primary half. Forest may very simply be two or three down. Everton are backside of the desk however they don’t appear to be a facet significantly quick on confidence. To look at their league place belies their performances, in view of that 10-point penalty, is actually true.
43 min: Whoah! Forest have possession and are shifting ahead however they lose it round midway, and the defence is all at sea. Doucoure does nicely to regulate the ball in a central spot, simply exterior the penalty space, after which lay it off to McNeil, who’s working into a number of house on the Everton left. McNeil is in: he takes a contact and promptly clumps a low left-footed shot which is flying into the open internet, past a helpless Vlachodimos … however Murillo will get again to drag off miraculous clearance off the purpose line, which kisses the submit on its method out!
40 min: Aurier launches an expansive diagonal cross throughout the pitch to Elanga, who nearly brings it beneath his spell, however narrowly fails and Everton can break. Boly has to slip in awkwardly to intercept a cross searching for Beto, and now he appears to be like like he may need injured himself too, like his defensive colleague Murillo moments earlier. The rating remains to be 0-0.
37 min: Murillo of Forest tries to whip the house crowd up, and manages to boost a cheer or two. Contemplating the strain they have been beneath for a part of this half, Cooper’s facet will likely be fairly blissful to go in for half-time stage. However Everton get on the transfer once more, McNeill whipping a cross over from the left. Murillo heads it clear however seems to barely twang one thing within the course of and limps away from the scene.
33 min: Alan Tate, the Forest assistant supervisor, is booked – I believe for encroaching exterior the technical space.
“As somebody with no canine within the struggle, I don’t perceive the strain on Cooper,” emails Joe Pearson. “Given what he did final season, he ought to be thought of a miracle employee. The group that began within the Premier League was practically fully overhauled from the one he gained promotion with.”
30 min: Elanga reveals a contact of composure and sophistication to place his foot on the ball, reduce away from Younger, and cross from the Forest left into the penalty space. The hosts preserve the assault going, with Aurier concerned once more on the alternative flank after Sangare tries a cute little flick within the center. The ball finally comes again to Elanga after he began the transfer, and he cracks a first-time shot which flashes simply large of the far submit. Higher from Forest.
28 min: Aurier appears to be like to play a brief cross inside to Sangare, however the Ivory Coast worldwide is crowded out by banks of Everton defenders. Forest haven’t had a shot on course.
27 min: Forest have a uncommon glimpse of the Everton penalty space. Elanga floats a innocent cross through which is snaffled comfortably by Pickford. That is turning into a really unconvincing efficiency by Forest – Everton look hungrier and are successful most if not all the 50-50s.
