Nottingham Forest’s dream season continued as they reached their highest league position in more than 30 years as a 2-0 victory at Everton lifted them into second place.
Chris Wood’s 11th league goal of the season set them on their way and Morgan Gibbs-White capped another impressive performance with the second as Nuno Espirito Santo’s side leapfrogged Chelsea and Arsenal after a fifth successive win.
Not since October 1994 have the two-time European champions been this high in the table and while the two London clubs can respond over the next couple of days, the visiting fans afforded themselves a tongue-in-cheek ‘We’re going to win the league’ chant having defeated both Merseyside clubs this season.
Thirty years ago they eventually finished third and with 33-year-old Wood enjoying something of a renaissance at the tail-end of his career, Gibbs-White pulling the strings so effectively and a miserly defence which has conceded just 19 in as many games, it is not so fanciful to think they could repeat the feat.
What is truly remarkable is these two teams were in a similar position 12 months ago, having both had points deductions under profitability and sustainability rules, but Forest have shown what can be achieved with canny recruitment and organisation sprinkled with a little bit of stardust.
Everton ended 2023 a point above the relegation zone after three successive league defeats, while Forest were only a point better off. They finished the campaign 17th and 15th respectively.
Wood’s form – only Mohamed Salah, Erling Haaland and Cole Palmer have scored more this season – has been key to their rapid elevation and that difference showed on the pitch at Goodison Park.
He has scored 22 goals in 34 Premier League appearances since December 23 last year, so if you are going to have only one attempt on target in the first half it pays for it to fall to Wood.
Gibbs-White’s lofted pass from deep picked out the New Zealand striker, unmarked as Jarrad Branthwaite had opted to stay closer to Anthony Elanga to unwittingly create a two-on-one as Everton’s other centre-back James Tarkowski was out of position.
Despite being off-balance, Wood directed his header towards Elanga, who nodded the ball back and his team-mate displayed the deftest of touches to lift the ball over Jordan Pickford.
Wood’s 11 league goals is only four short of Everton’s entire squad contribution for the season and in an attempt to change that, and to give Dominic Calvert-Lewin a much-needed rest, manager Sean Dyche handed Armando Broja his first start after a long injury absence.
The on-loan Chelsea forward lacked match sharpness after just three substitute appearances and he drifted one header wide and put another onto the roof of the net before drilling wide from distance.
But he was starved of service by Everton wingers reluctant to beat their man and cross the ball and he must have craved the creativity which Forest possessed in Gibbs-White, who ran the show all afternoon, as he threaded a pass in for Ramon Sosa to fire wide with a first-time shot.
The Forest captain crowned his performance with a deserved 61st-minute goal as Everton shot themselves in the foot.
Having just ballooned a shot into the Park End after a driving run, Gibbs-White was not about to pass up the opportunity afforded to him by Abdoulaye Doucoure’s poor touch which gifted him the ball deep in the Toffees half.
By the time the ball had been moved out to Wood on the left, Gibbs-White had continued his run into the penalty area where he checked back onto his left foot, sending Doucoure the wrong way, to give Pickford no chance.
Orel Mangala fired into the side-netting but it was a token effort as even they sensed the game was already beyond them, even with Calvert-Lewin briefly pairing with Broja before the latter was replaced by Beto.
Everton’s mini-revival, after a win and impressive draws against Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City, came to a crushing halt and just one victory in the last 10 leaves Dyche still struggling to find a solution to their obvious problems.
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