James Garner scored one and set up another as a depleted Everton side defied the odds to beat Nottingham Forest 2-0.
Injuries to Carlos Alcaraz and Michael Keane added to the existing absences of Jarrad Branthwaite, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Idrissa Gueye and Iliman Ndiaye, while Jack Grealish was only fit enough for a place on the bench, but Everton delivered for David Moyes at the City Ground.
Garner, who previously spent time on loan at Forest, struck with an early opener before then turning provider in the 79th minute as he set up Thierno Barry to score his second Everton goal.
Forest toiled to no avail, with Igor Jesus, Morgan Gibbs-White and Dilane Bakwa going close, but Sean Dyche’s team have now lost three straight Premier League games and sit just four points above the relegation zone.
While Forest remain 17th, Everton have moved up to eighth after snapping a three-match winless streak.
How the match unfolded
The tone was set early as James Tarkowski made a fine block to deny Callum Hudson-Odoi after he had struck a low shot from just inside the penalty area, but Everton hit the front in the 19th minute.
Garner burst from midfield and finished with aplomb after being set through by Dwight McNeil’s threaded pass in the 19th minute.
Forest dominated either side of the break, with Oleksandr Zinchenko testing Jordan Pickford with a free-kick and Jesus prodding wide after a defensive mix-up in Everton’s box.
Yet having weathered a storm, Everton would have gone further ahead had Tarkowski directed a close-range header on target.
Forest, though, failed to heed that warning, and Garner brilliantly turned his marker before playing in Barry, who finished beyond goalkeeper John Victor.
Pickford thwarted Gibbs-White and Bakwa skewed wide as Forest attempted to set up a grandstand finish, but Everton held firm.
Forest in a rut
Despite an initial revival under Dyche, Forest are now in a slump. They were smarting with the officials after their loss to Manchester City on Saturday, but this time out, they failed to make the most of their chances against such shorthanded opponents.
There was a real lack of invention or incision in the attacking areas from Forest throughout the first half, and Everton easily dealt with a number of crosses coming in from either flank.
The first goal was defended poorly, with no one in Forest colours tracking the run from Garner, and the home crowd began to grow restless after a largely insipid display.
Douglas Luiz was brought on for the second half and, while Forest improved, they were largely restricted to long-range attempts before Jesus’ miss.
West Ham United’s draw against Brighton & Hove Albion edges them closer to Forest, who are now only four points clear of danger after their worst spell of Dyche’s short reign so far, which has included two defeats to his former club Everton this month.
In terms of the bigger picture, it’s been a whirlwind year for Forest, with European qualification for the first time since 1995, along with two managerial sackings, and they begin 2026 with a trip to Aston Villa on Saturday.
Garner shines for resilient Toffees
Moyes admitted his side were well below-par in their 0-0 draw with Burnley last time out, though the Toffees are having to cope without their star performers.
Grealish returned to the squad after being unavailable for the match at Turf Moor due to illness, but with Ndiaye, Gueye and Dewsbury-Hall out, Garner had to step up. And step up he did, with a superb performance capped off with his two goal contributions.
Garner’s run and finish for his opener were excellent, but his tireless work in shielding Everton’s defence cannot be overlooked. He should have had an assist when he crossed in for Tarkowski, but he did get one when he found Barry after a great bit of skill.
Tarkowski and Jake O’Brien deserve praise too, as they produced a number of impressive interceptions at the heart of the defence, along with plenty of aerial clearances in the face of a relentless siege of crosses.
Everton became more of an attacking threat as the match wore on, especially after Grealish’s introduction from the bench, and Barry delighted the away fans with his well-taken finish.
The Toffees capped off 2025 in style, and they start 2026 at home against Brentford on Sunday.
Club reports
Forest report | Everton report
What the managers said
Sean Dyche: "It was pretty much the ups and downs of my time here. In the matches where there's an expectation, we haven't really delivered.
"Credit to them, they defended really well, it was a great away performance. They're an experienced group, I know them well and they dealt with everything.
"The expectation changes thoughts. People play a bit safer, too many passes. You have to change the rhythm of the game. That's fine but don't lose the game if it's not your day to score. But it was two really soft goals we conceded today."
David Moyes: "Not only this season but I think one of the better results we've had since I've come into the job because of how depleted we are.
"We didn't have enough senior players on the bench to make too many changes. I thought Nottingham Forest played well, but we defended well and took our moments when we got them.
"We didn't play particularly well against Burnley but today we did. I always saw tonight being a really difficult game. Forest played really well against Manchester City at the weekend and they were unlucky not to take some points."
Next PL fixtures
Key facts
Moyes has now won nine of his 19 Premier League away matches in charge of Everton since returning to the club, which is already as many away victories as Everton’s two most recent permanent managers combined (nine in 57 matches - Sean Dyche seven wins, Frank Lampard two wins).
After failing to score with any of his first 15 shots for Everton in the Premier League, Thierno Barry has now scored with two of his last three attempts on goal, with both goals coming against Forest – after also netting against the Tricky Trees at the start of December.
Forest had 70.1 per cent possession against Everton tonight, their most since returning to the Premier League ahead of the 2022/23 season, whilst they attempted 52 crosses, also their most in a single match in this period.
Forest have lost nine of their last 14 home matches in the Premier League, winning just three of those (D2), with this run coming directly after a run of nine matches without defeat at the City Ground in the competition between November 2024 and April 2025.