Jordan Pickford furious with Everton pair after incident at Nottingham Forest

Jordan Pickford was left furious with his defence as Everton nearly threw away control of their match against Nottingham Forest in the second half.

The Toffees had taken a 1–0 lead through a superb first-half strike from James Garner against his former club and were largely comfortable as Forest struggled to break them down. James Tarkowski dealt confidently with most deliveries into the box, while Jake O’Brien was on hand to mop up anything that slipped through.

However, after nearly an hour of solid defending, Everton almost gifted the hosts an equaliser — much to Pickford’s frustration. A moment of confusion at the back allowed Igor Jesus a golden chance that should have resulted in a goal.

Despite the scare, Everton went on to secure an impressive 2–0 victory thanks to a late finish from Thierno Barry. But the outcome could have been very different had Jesus taken his opportunity.

Pickford fumes after defensive mix-up

The danger arose in the 59th minute when Forest worked the ball down the right flank, with a pass played towards Morgan Gibbs-White near the byline.

O’Brien appeared well-positioned to shepherd the ball out, but instead allowed it to slip between his legs, creating panic. Along with Vitalii Mykolenko, he hesitated over who should deal with the situation before O’Brien smashed the ball against Garner inside the box.

Tim Iroegbunam then failed to fully clear the loose ball, allowing Jesus to pounce and poke an effort narrowly wide of the far post. Pickford immediately stormed out of his goal to vent his anger at his defenders, as reported by the Liverpool Echo’s Joe Thomas.

James Garner strengthens Everton future case

Despite that brief lapse, Everton produced a strong away performance. Tarkowski was outstanding at the back, while O’Brien largely recovered to deliver a solid display. Barry’s late strike — his second goal for the club and once again against a Sean Dyche side — capped off the win.

However, the standout performer was James Garner. The midfielder opened the scoring with a superb finish and later provided the assist for Barry’s goal, underlining his growing importance to the team.

With Manchester United reportedly monitoring a potential move to bring Garner back to Old Trafford, his display only strengthened Everton’s determination to keep hold of him. The Friedkin Group will now feel justified in pushing ahead with a new contract, as losing Garner at this stage would be a significant blow.