Everton sealed a massive victory on the road against Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
David Moyes will happily accept his first three points since the away victory against Crystal Palace all the way back in February.
It has not been a poor run for Everton, but the Blues have struggled of late to covert draws into wins.
And it seemed that would be the case again on Saturday until Abdoulaye Doucoure popped up with the last-gasp victory.
Iliman Ndiaye was praised by Gary Neville for his showing at the City Ground, and Doucoure will naturally get a lot of plaudits.
However, the Everton fans were adamant there was another player they felt was the real difference maker against Forest.
Everton fans wowed by Dwight McNeil in Nottingham Forest win
After months on the sidelines, Dwight McNeil has finally returned for Everton following his knee surgery.
Moyes played it safe and did not bring McNeil on until the latter stages of the game; as he did against Arsenal.
But when he did come on, he made a difference by providing Doucoure with the assist, and Everton fans were delighted to see him back.
Taking to social media, one fan said: ‘Wonderful to have him back. We’ve missed him for sure!’ It was clear Everton fans were happy to have McNeil back as another added: ‘Dwight McNeil. Only needs a few seconds on the pitch to lay on an assist.’
The mood was high after the victory, with another fan saying: ‘I was absolutely fuming there that McNeil didn’t come on until the 89th minute. Turns out that was enough time.’ With another taking aim at Jack Harrison: ‘The pass for the goal is the difference between McNeil and Harrison’.
McNeil looked bright in Everton training during the week and his creativity was on full display against Forest.
Another fan felt similarly about Harrison, commenting: ‘THAT is the difference between having McNeil on the counter-attack rather than Harrison’. McNeil’s return was clearly a huge boost and one fan even said: ‘That’s what happens when Dwight McNeil is on the pitch. Massively underrated. He has that bit of quality that matters in the big moments.’
Dwight McNeil shone in Everton cameo against Forest
Earlier in the season, Martin Keown praised McNeil’s final ball after he showed his quality against Wolves at Goodison Park.
It did not take him long to return with a real moment of class at the City Ground, either.
- 1 minute played
- 1 assist
- 2 touches
- 100% pass accuracy
- 1/1 ground duels won
Everton have been struggling for goals for most of the season and they have certainly missed the 25-year-old playing in that attacking role.
Alex Iwobi was happy to see McNeil return from injury last week against Arsenal; that feeling will be shared by Everton fans this weekend.
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