Nottingham Forest 0-2 Everton: David Moyes’ men move into European contention as James Garner haunts old club and £27m Thierno Barry bags his second goal for the Toffees

Nottingham Forest will enter next month’s transfer window with a mixture of hope and trepidation after one of the players responsible for helping them reach the Premier League left Sean Dyche‘s side mired in trouble at the wrong end of the table.

James Garner, a member of the squad which achieved promotion from the Championship three years ago, excelled on his return to the City Ground with a goal and an assist for Thierno Barry as Everton ended a run of three games without a win and boosted their European hopes in the process.

Forest’s performance laid bare both the potential Dyche inherited after being appointed earlier this term and the issues he must address in order to steer his team to safety. 

Against opponents he managed for 84 games before being unceremoniously dismissed, the 54-year-old watched Forest enjoy plenty of the ball and promising field position.

But unlike Everton, whose game management and ruthlessness proved crucial, they failed to make either pay. An influx of new faces could replenish their diminishing reserves of confidence. However, with Manchester United circling the influential Elliot Anderson, Dyche knows more disappointing results will provide further encouragement for Ruben Amorim in his pursuit of the Forest talisman and England midfielder.

Moyes spent the first-half in a perpetual state of angst, protesting against every decision made by the match officials and his own players alike. Not even Garner’s clinical finish, which handed the visitors the lead, could disguise the Scot’s displeasure at aspects of their performance as Forest continued to look more threatening despite falling behind.

Thierno Barry hit his second Premier League goal since his £27million summer arrival

Ensuring positive passages of play translate into a scoreboard advantage is one of the problems Dyche must solve in order to help Forest drag themselves away from the relegation zone. Omari Hutchinson produced flashes of skill but little end product. The same could be said of Morgan Gibbs-White whose lapse in concentration at the other end of the field allowed Garner to collect Dwight McNeil’s slide-rule pass and drive an angled shot past John Victor and into the bottom corner of the net.

With James Tarkowski commanding at the heart of Everton’s rearguard, Forest needed to be ruthless when opportunities presented themselves. However, on one of the rare occasions Gibbs-White escaped the centre-half’s clutches, he nodded a glancing header off target after Igor Jesus had fluffed his lines from close range.

Those misses proved costly when Barry, after finding Garner with a crossfield pass, swept forward and converted in emphatic fashion after receiving the ball back.

Dyche, who spent 84 games in charge of the visitors before being sacked in January, admitted: ‘We had a dominant performance statistically but stats don’t win games.

‘It’s not good enough to dominate, you have to find an edge. We have to find a way that suits the players and I still think we’re working that out.’

Forest’s performance laid bare the issues Dyche must address in order to prevent them being dragged even deeper into trouble. They showed all the effort you would expect of a team fighting for survival but also the lack of quality when it mattered too.

With James Tarkowski commanding at the heart of Everton’s rearguard, Forest’s insistence on whipping high crosses into the box was as bemusing as it was ineffective. Likewise the sight of Elliot Anderson operating in a deep lying rather than advanced role. That, combined with the fact Forest are now only four points above West Ham who they face early next month, will only provide further encouragement for Manchester United in their pursuit of the England international.

‘We’ve got to ask more questions,’ continued Dyche. ‘Go long, go short and then go long again.

Everton move up to eighth while Nottingham Forest languish in 17th going into January 

‘We’ve got to break the backline.’

Despite surrendering possession for the majority of the contest, Everton were everything Forest should have been. Disciplined, organised and ruthless when it mattered, Garner converted the first opportunity which came their way after combining with Dwight McNeil midway. The midfielder, whose final loan appearance for Forest came in their play-off final success at Wembley, then turned provider for Barry during the closing stages.

‘Jimmy has developed hugely,’ Moyes said. ‘When I first saw him, he was a bit of a boy. Now he takes responsibility.’

While Forest peer over their shoulders, Everton are staring upwards after embellishing their European credentials although Moyes conceded they could struggle as injuries and AFCON call-ups bite.

‘It was some result for us to come here with a depleted side and get a result,’ he added. ‘Forest had a need for points so we knew we were going to be under pressure.’