Brennan Johnson’s stunt double helped Nottingham forest Came from behind twice to earn a vital point in a 2-2 draw Everton in a crackle clash at the bottom Premier League.
First half goals Demarai Gray and Abdoulaye Doucoure put the Toffees on course for a third win in six games. Sean Dyche At City Ground.
However, Johnson, who canceled Gray’s early penalty, ensured his team got a share of the spoils with the second 13 minutes and kept Everton and other teams below them in the relegation battle.
The Welsh international is on a hot streak as he has scored five goals with an assist in his last seven Premier League appearances.
The draw also marked Forest’s home undefeated streak to nine games, and the City Ground will be where Forest’s fate is decided this season.
Beating Arsenal and Leeds at Goodison Park under Dyche, Everton were aiming for their first away win in the league since October, but had to settle for a point that keeps them in the final three, behind Leeds on goal difference.
Things started off promisingly for Toffees.
Dyche, who still lives in Nottingham, has spent a lot of time at City Ground after watching a few games this season, and his team felt at home as they started off better.
Their strong start was rewarded with a 10-minute lead as Gray made his first start under the new boss and made an instant impact as he scored from the spot.
Dwight McNeil was dropped by Jonjo Shelvey and Gray sent goalkeeper Keylor Navas the wrong way with a penalty.
Forest’s reaction was good and they only needed nine minutes to get back to their previous level.
A nice move saw Morgan Gibbs-White and Chris Wood combine, the first saw his shot from the edge of the field being hunted by Jordan Pickford and Johnson was ready to take the rebound home.
This gave Forest momentum and they pressed for a second, as Wood saw a header change direction, but Everton regained their lead against the course of the game just before half-time.
A contentious free kick that Forest felt should have gone their own way was played inside the box, and Doucoure overshadowed Michael Keane’s fall from close range.
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This changed the look of the game and Everton could have contributed to the lead before the timeout.
First, McNeil saw a distant curling effort knocked down by the Navas, and then Gray made a nice opening at halftime as Doucoure prepared him perfectly on the far post, while Gibbs-White placed a key block.
The pressure on the match can be felt by both groups of players, as a moody affair that emerges with several confrontations and hasty interventions after the break.
Regular stops didn’t help Everton finish at all as Forest failed to gain any momentum.
The visitors looked controlled, but Forest found a tie at the 77th minute.
Substitute Ryan Yates found space on the right and retraced the area to Johnson, who was unmarked and deftly found the top corner.
He could have scored a game-winning hat-trick, but Gibbs-White plunged into the penalty area and fired a slightly wide effort from a narrow angle after the game ended full frame.