Forest Go Second as Everton’s Struggles Deepen in 2-0 Defeat

Nottingham Forest climbed to second place in the Premier League table—albeit temporarily—with a confident 2-0 victory over Everton, whose attacking struggles continue to deepen.

Nuno Espírito Santo’s side delivered another spirited away performance, showing resilience after losing key center-back Murillo to an injury during the warm-up. Despite the setback, Forest deservedly took the lead in the first half. Chris Wood combined cleverly with Anthony Elanga in a quick exchange of headers before deftly lofting the ball over Jordan Pickford. The move was orchestrated by Morgan Gibbs-White, who delivered a stunning long ball to unlock the Everton defense, setting up Wood to capitalize.

Gibbs-White then doubled Forest’s lead on the hour mark, courtesy of a costly Everton error. A sloppy backpass from Abdoulaye Doucouré was intercepted by Elanga, who squared the ball to Wood. Rather than shoot, Wood unselfishly set up Gibbs-White, who danced past Doucouré and rifled a powerful shot high into the net.

Everton offered little in response, managing their first shot on target in the 80th minute. Sean Dyche’s decision to drop Dominic Calvert-Lewin in favor of Armando Broja for his first start of the season failed to spark their attack. They were also fortunate not to go down to ten men when James Tarkowski, already on a yellow card, escaped punishment for a reckless challenge on Chris Wood in the first half.

The defeat marks Everton’s third home loss in the league this season, with their form at Goodison Park continuing to fade. Worryingly, Dyche’s side has failed to score in seven of their last nine matches, leaving them teetering just above the relegation zone. Meanwhile, Forest’s clinical display highlighted their growing confidence as they continue to thrive under Espírito Santo.