Everton condemned Nottingham Forest to a third straight defeat after rare goals from James Garner and Thierno Barry.
Midfielder Garner – a former Forest loanee who won promotion to the Premier League with them in 2022 – scored his first goal since August and a second in over two years.
Barry doubled the Toffees’ advantage – just his second goal since a £27m move from Villarreal in the summer, with both coming against Forest.
The Toffees are eighth after a fifth win in their last nine games, leaving them just four points adrift of the top four, while their hosts remain in 17th spot.
It felt like a pivotal game for Forest after defeats to Fulham and Manchester City stopped them moving further clear of the relegation zone.
They had not suffered successive defeats under Sean Dyche before Saturday’s loss to City, but suffered another setback despite dominating possession.
Forest visit Aston Villa on Saturday, before travelling to third bottom West Ham who are just four points behind.
After Garner struck in the 19th minute with a low finish into the corner from Dwight McNeill’s pass, the hosts struggled to create chances, with Igor Jesus prodding their best opening wide.
James Tarkowski headed wide for Everton, but Barry sealed the success, firing in from Garner’s through-ball.