Yahoo News Key Everton man suffers fresh injury blow ahead of Nottingham Forest relegation showdown
Everton have been hit by a double blow with injury concerns over Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Idrissa Gana Gueye.
Both players missed last night’s 6-0 humiliation at Chelsea as Cole Palmer ripped the Toffees to pieces with four goals and his second successive Stamford-Bridge hat-trick.
That left Sean Dyche profoundly concerned ahead of Sunday’s clash between Everton and Nottingham Forest, questioning his players’ professionalism and wondering whether their repeated points deductions had taken its toll.
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The Toffees were also not helped by the absence of Calvert-Lewin as Beto missed a glorious chance to put the visitors 1-0 and then strayed offside to have a goal ruled out.
Speaking before the game, Dyche explained the striker’s absence, revealing yet another set-back. “It is [a blow]. He’s got a tight hamstring, nothing more, so we think it will recover quickly.”
Gueye missed the game against Burnley due to the birth of his child but was expected to be back against Chelsea, only for Dyche to reveal the midfielder has a ‘tight calf’. Neither have been definitively ruled out against Forest but clearly the uncertainty does not help Everton. Calvert-Lewin has five goals in 27 Premier League games this season, while Gueye has played in 19.
For his part, Nuno Espirito Santo has his own concerns with Anthony Elanga missing the 2-2 draw with Wolves and Taiwo Awoniyi struggling to get fit for a match that will see two sides separated by just one point and one place going head to head. Indeed, Forest could be in the relegation zone by Sunday if Luton Town beat Brentford the day before.
