[Source: Reuters]

Nottingham Forest’s Champions League qualification hopes were hit by a 1-0 defeat against Everton after Abdoulaye Doucoure scored a 94th-minute winner at the City Ground on Saturday, boosting his chances of a new contract at the Merseyside club.

Everton forward Dwight McNeil won possession in midfield after sloppy play from Forest, which summed up their dismal afternoon, and his pass rather fortuitously fell to Doucoure, who swept his shot past goalkeeper Matz Sels.

Third-placed Forest stay on 57 points from 32 games, four points clear of Chelsea in sixth position, though the London side have a game in hand. The top five qualify for the Champions League. Everton move up to 14th with 38 points from 32 matches.

Forest have been excellent at home this season but failed to create too many alarms in the Everton defence and it was the visitors who left it late but deservedly got the three points.

Everton fans taunted their rivals with “Champions League, you’re having a laugh”, and it was a nervous home side who always looked happy with a point but were ultimately punished for not taking the game to the visitors.

It took 25 minutes for the first clear sight of goal and it fell to Everton midfielder James Garner, whose low shot on the angle was saved by Sels.

Iliman Ndiaye headed straight at goalkeeper as the visitors pushed for the opener, while Forest were sloppy in possession and several promising attacks broke down.

Their best chance of the first half came late on when Callum Hudson-Odoi forced a save from Jordan Pickford, though it was comfortable for the keeper.

Hudson-Odoi then shot straight at Pickford, before Ndiaye failed to beat Sels after getting in behind the Forest defence from a long James Tarkowski pass.

Morgan Gibbs-White’s clever flick had to be saved by Pickford, while at the other end Jack Harrison fired over after a swift Everton counter-attack.

The game looked to be heading for a goalless draw until Everton finally came up with an incisive piece of play to make it four wins in their last five games at the City Ground.

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