'Unbelievable' - Everton's man of the match praised by fans after brilliant all-round performance

Everton earned a vital 1-0 victory over Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Saturday evening as James Garner produced a brilliant man of the match performance.

It was Dwight McNeil who provided the all-important goal in the second half after good work from Jack Harrison and the win sees Sean Dyche carries them up to 18th place, just two points behind Luton Town. Of course, if there had been no 10-point deduction then they would be sat above Chelsea in 11th place, but the victory means it is now seven wins in 11 games in all competitions.

There were several brilliant performances; the centre-back pairing of James Tarkowski and Jarrad Branthwaite were both titans at the back, as they restricted Forest to few opportunities. McNeil was energetic and had could scored another, but Garner's influence in midfield was unmistakable.

Across the 90 minutes, he managed 63 touches, he completed 36 of his 45 passes, he managed 13 ball recoveries, 11 final third passes, he won five of his eight ground duels, as well as four clearances, three interceptions, three long balls and two dribbles. He earned rave reviews from the commentators and pundits on the Sky Sports coverage, and the Everton fanbase gave him rave reviews following the full-time whistle.

One fan wrote: 'James Garner the best player on the pitch…controlled the game second half. We shall not be moved has never been more fitting.'

While another said: 'Arguably James Garner’s best performance for us. Bossed the midfield today. Very pleasing to see his progression this season.'

One Manchester United fan even expressed his disappointment about the fact they had allowed Garner to leave the club a few years ago: 'I'll say it every week I still can't believe we let James Garner go for £9m...' With Amadou Onana absent from the encounter, Garner managed to step up when needed but Idrissa Gueye also held his position well and worked extremely hard. Garner has shown plenty of strong performances this season and the 22-year-old is now a key figure for Dyche.