Nottingham Forest 0-1 Everton: Dwight McNeil strike secures first Premier League win for Toffees since points deduction

Dwight McNeil's second-half strike was enough to give Everton victory over Nottingham Forest and lift them off the bottom of the Premier League.

Just before half-time McNeil looked to have opened the scoring but Murillo cleared off the line for the home side, who created little throughout the game.

The Toffees should have been ahead early on when Odysseas Vlachodimos collided with Willy Boly leaving Beto with a near open goal but he side-footed over the bar.

The winner came midway through the second half when Jack Harrison's cross found McNeil in the left-hand side of the penalty area and he teed himself up before unleashing a left-footed half-volley which flew into the top corner.

Only in the closing stages did Forest threaten with Jordan Pickford called upon to dash out to smother Anthony Elanga's shot and then push away Murillo's long-range drive.

The win sees Everton, who have been deducted 10 points for breaching the Premier League's profitability and sustainability rules, move above Sheffield United and Burnley (the latter on goal difference).

Forest remain sixth bottom, six points above the relegation zone.

With the morale-boosting day Burnley enjoyed on Saturday, the competitiveness of Luton in every match and the fair possibility Everton will have some of their point-deduction altered, there is reason for worry at the City Ground.

The improvement towards the end of last season feels like it has been lost and against a fellow bottom-half side they looked to have little prospect of breaking down the Toffees unless Morgan Gibbs-White created some magic. The former England youth star is capable of this, but when he has an off-night like tonight there does not look like many players capable of picking up the slack.

There are rumours Steve Cooper's job is under threat and on the surface this seems foolish considering the job he did last season to forge a squad from a phalanx of personnel upheaval.

That said, with the Forest fans booing at the final whistle, you could understand why the owner might make a change now to give a new manager time to work with the current squad before the transfer window - and the likelihood that their league position gets more precarious.

His first goal of the season should have come before half-time if not for a fantastic clearance, but he made sure there was no doubt with the second. In truth in a poor advert for Premier League football, McNeil looked the only creative player on show capable of crafting an opening or likely to finish a chance off. He seems to relish this responsibility with the Merseyside club and could well be the man to get the Toffees out of trouble over the next couple of months, even if their appeal against the 10-point ban fails.

Nottingham Forest: Vlachodimos 5; Aurier 6, Boly 7, Murillo 7, Toffolo 6; Sangare 6, Mangala 6, Yates 7; Gibbs-White 6, Wood 5, Elanga 6.

Subs: Felipe 7, Hudson-Odoi 6, Origi 6.

Everton: Pickford 7; Young 6, Tarkowski 7, Branthwaite 7, Mykolenko 7; Gueye 7, Garner 7, Doucoure 6; Harrison 7, McNeil 8*; Beto 5.

Subs: Chermiti 6.

23' BETO MISSES OPEN GOAL! Crazy goalkeeping from Vlachodimos who came out to punch a cross Boly would have dealt with and the ball dropped to Beto who side-foots high over the bar.

44' MURILLO CLEARS OFF THE LINE! He was limping before and is again, but he saved the day for Forest when McNeil slid an effort past the Forest stopper and was sneaking inside the far post before Murillo got a foot in to stop it and push away to safety hitting the opposite post en route.

54' OFF THE POST! Yates goes down under pressure from Doucoure and then the ball ricochets around the box before Felipe shoots against the post.

67' GOAL FOR EVERTON (MCNEIL)! This time McNeil's effort cannot be stopped. He had time to line the ball up when the ball found him in the left hand side of the penalty area and he blasted the ball into the far top corner.

87'MURILLO WITH A DRIVE FROM LONG RANGE! The centre half drives powerfully from 25 yards but Pickford is forced to dive full-length to parry away.