Nottingham Forest 2-2 Everton: Player ratings as Johnson brace earns crucial point
Nottingham Forest came from behind twice to salvage a draw with Sean Dyche's Everton at the City Ground.
Brennan Johnson's brace cancelled out goals from Demarai Gray and Abdoulaye Doucore to ensure both sides left with a vital Premier League point.
Everton started brightly and were rewarded for their efforts in the final third with a penalty kick in the eighth minute. Jonjo Shelvey blatantly tripped Dwight McNeil to gift the Toffees a spot kick, and Demarai Gray subsequently made no mistake from 12 yards, side-footing into the top right corner of the net.
Going 1-0 down sparked Nottingham Forest into life thereafter, with Morgan Gibbs-White and Brennan Johnson beginning to cause Everton's backline a whole host of problems. The latter managed to level the game in the 19th minute, capitalising on a Jordan Pickford save from a Gibbs-White strike on goal to tap home the equaliser.
The entertainment (for neutrals anyways) continued for the rest of the first half as Everton re-took the lead in the 29th minute. The goal would come from Abdoulaye Doucoure, who races into the six-yard box unmarked to head home a clever knock on from Michael Keane.
At the start of the second half the Forest pressed forward in search of another equaliser, but Everton were able to hold firm thanks and restrict the home side's efforts on Pickford's goal.
In the final 15 minutes however, Steve Cooper's men finally found the breakthrough. Again the goal would come from Johnson, who found some space just inside the penalty area before side-footing brilliantly into the top left corner of the net.
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Nottingham Forest player ratings
GK: Keylor Navas (6); RB: Serge Aurier (7), CB: Joe Worrall (7), CB: Felipe (8), LB: Renan Lodi (8); CM: Jonjo Shelvey (6), CM: Remo Freuler (7), CM: Jack Colback (6); RF: Brennan Johnson (9), LF: Morgan Gibbs-White (6); CF: Chris Wood (6).
SUBS: Andre Ayew (5), Emmanuel Dennis (6), Ryan Yates (7).
Everton player ratings
GK: Jordan Pickford (6); RB: Seamus Coleman (6), CB: Micheal Keane (7), CB: James Tarkowski (6), LB: Ben Godfrey (7); CM: Idrissa Gana Gueye (7), CM: Abdoulaye Doucoure (8), CM: Andre Onana (6); RW: Alex Iwobi (7), CF: Demarai Gray (7), LW: Dwight McNeil (7).
SUBS: Tom Davies (N/A), Neal Maupay (N/A) .