Everton player ratings v Nottingham Forest: Ashley Young flops with 4/10 in Goodison Park win
Everton took a huge step away from the Premier League relegation zone with an excellent 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest at Goodison Park.
Sean Dyche’s side moved five points clear of the drop zone as they bounced back from their 6-0 defeat to Chelsea last time out, with goals from Idrissa Gueye and Dwight McNeil the difference between the sides on Sunday (21 April).
While it wasn’t the perfect performance by any stretch of the imagination, the Toffees wouldn’t have cared as they massively boosted their chances of survival and pushed Forest deeper into relegation trouble.
Goodison News have rated the players out of 10;
Jordan Pickford – 8
The England international needed to bounce back after the defeat to Chelsea and he did with a huge save in the first half. Had a few shaky moments with the ball at his feet but was solid for the most part. Has a huge role to play in the relegation battle and stood up when it counted.
Ashley Young – 4
Deployed at right-back with Seamus Coleman and Nathan Patterson ruled out and was an incredibly lucky boy as he somehow managed to be on the right side of three penalty appeals. Hopefully, he hasn’t used up all his luck ahead of the run-in, but Dyche will be concerned by how often his veteran defender was caught out of position.
James Tarkowski – 7
After a tough night against Chelsea, the Everton skipper marshalled the backline excellently as they kept the Forest frontline at bay. The 31-year-old won almost every duel he entered and even managed to win a couple of free kicks. Dyche’s backline is so important to this survival bid and Tarkowski may be the most important.
Jarrad Branthwaite – 7
Branthwaite was an injury doubt heading into this game, but he managed to find his way into the starting XI once again. The 21-year-old was excellent in the backline as he dealt with everything thrown his way. Dyche would have been worried when he went down in the second half but the centre-back managed to get through the remainder of the game.
Vitalli Mykolenko – 6
While he is never the most remarkable, it was another solid showing from the Ukrainian international Mykolenko made several defensive contributions and played a vital role in the Toffees’ clean sheet. Could have done more going forward but kept things simple.
Jack Harrison – 5
Back in the starting XI at Goodison, but the winger showed very little to justify his selection. Never seemed able to beat his man and on the rare occasions he found some space, he didn’t have the final ball to carry a threat. Worked hard defensively but was clumsy in the tackle. Needs to offer more if he wants this move to be a permanent one.
Idrisa Gueye – 8
Most supporters would have been panicking when he shaped to shoot midway through the first half, but the Senegalese international’s finish was superb. In a relegation battle that is this close, moments of magic can make the difference and that’s exactly what he produced. That goal could keep Everton up. Hopefully, he’ll be fit between now and the end of the season as he can be a real difference maker.
Andre Gomes – 5
The Portuguese midfielder hasn’t played much football this season and it showed as he looked fairly off of the pace. His set-piece delivery was nothing short of awful as he repeatedly wasted excellent goalscoring chances. Lost a lot of his duels in the match and looked fairly clumsy when tackling, but kept it simple in possession and helped the Toffees tick.
Dwight McNeil helps Everton and Sean Dyche take a huge step away from relegation
Dwight McNeil – 8
Deployed on the left wing as he so often is, the Toffees winger managed to salvage an otherwise quiet display with a beautiful strike from the edge of the penalty area. Dyche trusts him because he can change a game in a single action and that’s exactly what he did on Sunday. Hopefully, this run of form keeps going.
Abdoulaye Doucoure – 6
The 31-year-old featured in a slightly deeper role for large parts of the game and while he didn’t really put a foot wrong, it didn’t seem like he had a major impact on the game. Picked up a good assist for McNeil’s goal but all the hard work was done by the finish.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin – 5
Calvert-Lewin has enjoyed such a strange season at Goodison Park. The 27-year-old’s goal drought may have come to an end, but he didn’t look any more confident in the final third. He didn’t see loads of the ball but wasted a couple of good chances to find the net as he also misplaced a number of passes before he was substituted.
Substitutes
James Garner – 6
Beto – 6
In other Everton news, Young could be set to be handed a new contract at Goodison after a new update about Nathan Patterson
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