James Garner scored against his former club as Everton secured a 2-0 victory over Nottingham Forest at the City Ground. The midfielder, who spent 18 months on loan at Forest and helped them win promotion in 2022, opened the scoring in the first half with a fine finish after being set up by Dwight McNeil. Garner refused to celebrate out of respect for his former employers.
Thierno Barry doubled Everton's lead in the 79th minute, capitalising on a defensive error from Murillo. Garner played a key role in the build-up, jinking past the Forest defender before picking out Barry on the edge of the box. The Frenchman controlled the ball and fired past John Victor to seal the win. Barry celebrated with a bow and arrow gesture, a nod to the city's Robin Hood connection.
Nottingham Forest dominated possession with 70% and completed nearly three times as many passes as Everton, but they struggled to break down a resolute Everton defence. Their first shot on target came in the 44th minute through Oleksandr Zinchenko, whose free-kick forced a save from Jordan Pickford. Despite their statistical dominance, Forest failed to truly test the Everton goalkeeper.
Everton manager David Moyes praised his side's resilience, especially given the absences of 10 first-team players due to injury and the Africa Cup of Nations. "It is one of the team's best away wins because of what we had available to us," Moyes said. He also confirmed that 18-year-old midfielder Harrison Armstrong is likely to be recalled from his loan at Preston to bolster the squad.
Forest boss Sean Dyche expressed frustration after his team's third consecutive defeat. "We had very dominant stats but stats don't win games," Dyche said. "I've just spoken to the players about it. But that expectation should be here." Forest fans jeered their team off at full time as the club faces a challenging run of fixtures, with five of their next six matches away from home.
