Abdoulaye Doucoure was Everton’s stoppage-time hero as they dented Nottingham Forest’s European hopes with a last-gasp 1-0 win at the City Ground.

Nuno Espirito Santo was hoping his side would bounce back following their loss to Aston Villa last weekend, but Everton snatched the points in the final moments on Saturday.

Everton were arguably the better team throughout, though they seemed destined for a draw until a stunning 94th-minute breakaway from the Toffees.

From their own attacking set-piece, Forest were caught on the counter, with substitute Dwight McNeil feeding Doucoure, who set himself for a cool finish over Matz Sels.

Victory moves Everton onto 38 points in 14th – 18 clear of the bottom three – while Forest are just two points above Manchester City and three clear of fifth-place Aston Villa, in what is shaping up to be a thrilling race for UEFA Champions League qualification.

How the match unfolded

Everton started positively, highlighted by some neat touches from Armando Broja on his first start under David Moyes, though there was little goalmouth action until James Garner drilled a shot at Sels in the 25th minute.

The hosts struggled to hit top gear, though Callum Hudson-Odoi did force a smart stop from Jordan Pickford just before half-time.

Hudson-Odoi should have done better when he dragged a tame attempt straight at Pickford just after the restart, with Iliman Ndiaye then failing to beat Sels after latching onto James Tarkowski’s inch-perfect pass at the other end.

Jack Harrison lashed over as Everton built up momentum, with substitute Carlos Alcaraz adding some extra guile. The Argentine played a part in what might have been a key moment when he passed into Beto, who tumbled under Murillo’s challenge, but the referee’s on-field decision of no penalty was confirmed following a VAR review.

Yet with the match ebbing towards a draw, there was one more twist. After Everton cleared a corner, McNeil cleverly dispossessed Murillo before driving clear to lay it on for Doucoure, who made no mistake with a fantastic first-time finish.

Forest stumble again

With the race for the Premier League top five in full swing, Nuno’s side still find themselves in pole position to secure qualify for the Champions League, but two losses on the bounce will have done nothing to ease any nerves.

Nuno was able to welcome back Chris Wood from injury, but Anthony Elanga was only fit enough for the bench, and Forest lacked their usual zip in a sluggish performance, even after the latter was introduced in the second half.

The Tricky Trees failed to find their rhythm and make the most of their half-chances, with Hudson-Odoi squandering two good opportunities – the type of which he has been putting away regularly this term.

Nonetheless, Forest have a relatively kind run-in waiting them, with just one game against a current top-half side – when Chelsea visit the City Ground on the final matchday of the season – meaning that Nuno’s team should still fancy their chances of returning to Europe’s top table for the first time over four decades.

However, they face Tottenham Hotspur away next, and they will need to show they can get their form back on track – with City, Villa, Chelsea and Newcastle United all within touching distance.

Toffees get over sticky patch

The second David Moyes era at Everton has been a huge success so far, with the Scotsman having impressively pulled the Toffees up from relegation candidates to comfortable mid-table dwellers since rejoining the club in January.

Moyes would have had plenty of reason to be optimistic ahead of Saturday’s clash, with Everton having won three of their last four away league games against Forest, although his team had not won since overcoming Crystal Palace back in February.

Everton have only lost two league matches under Moyes, though, and their resilience was on show throughout, even if it at times they defended rather aggressively – Jarrad Branthwaite’s cynical off-ball push on Jota Silva in the 13th minute saw him escape a booking, though he earned one in the 39th minute for another shove on the Forest winger.

Harrison, meanwhile, worked hard down the right flank and put in several dangerous crosses before he eventually made way for McNeil, who – just four minutes after coming on – showed great drive and composure to lead a flying counter and pick out Doucoure with an excellently weighted pass.

Everton can have another big say in the top five race in their next two outings, as they host Manchester City before taking on Chelsea.

Club reports

Forest report | Everton report