Abdoulaye Doucouré scored a dramatic 94th-minute winner as Everton secured a 1-0 victory over Nottingham Forest at the City Ground on Saturday, April 12th, dealing a blow to the hosts’ Champions League qualification aspirations.
Third-placed Forest produced a surprisingly lackluster performance, struggling to create clear opportunities despite their strong home record this season. Everton, meanwhile, looked the more threatening side throughout a largely cagey encounter.
The first significant chance fell to Everton midfielder James Garner after 25 minutes, but his low angled shot was saved by Forest goalkeeper Matz Sels. Iliman Ndiaye later headed straight at Sels and also failed to beat the keeper when played through by James Tarkowski. Forest’s best moments came via Callum Hudson-Odoi, who twice forced saves from Jordan Pickford, while Morgan Gibbs-White also saw a clever flick denied by the England goalkeeper. Jack Harrison fired over for Everton after a counter-attack.
The match appeared destined for a goalless draw until deep into stoppage time. Sloppy play from Forest allowed Dwight McNeil to win possession in midfield. His subsequent pass took a fortunate deflection into the path of Doucouré, who swept a finish past Sels to snatch all three points for the visitors.
“It feels amazing, the team worked so hard and we deserved the win,” said Doucouré, whose contract expires at the end of the season. “We created so many changes… I believed I would score today. We dominated them from the first minute. I love this club… My contract is running out so let’s see what happens.”
The defeat leaves Forest third on 57 points from 32 games. While they remain in a strong position, the loss allows teams competing for the top five Champions League spots, including Chelsea, Newcastle, Manchester City, and Aston Villa, the chance to close the gap. Everton climb to 14th place with 38 points from 32 matches, securing their fourth win in five visits to the City Ground.
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