Nottingham Forest collapse opens the door in top-five Premier League race | OneFootball

The month of April has not been so kind to Nottingham Forest. The Reds began the month on 57 points, 10 points above Newcastle, who sat in 6th place. Forest would go on to drop their last two games, with losses to Aston Villa and, most recently, to Everton. Their lead has shrunk, with Manchester City, Villa, Chelsea, and Newcastle all within four points of Forest.

Abdoulaye Doucoure celebrating after scoring the winning goal for Everton against Nottingham Forest - Premier League | Michael Regan/GettyImages

Nottingham’s loss yesterday was especially alarming. Despite being favorites against Everton, the Reds would only accumulate 0.52 xG, their sixth-lowest mark in the Premier League this season. While this is a low mark, it is only fair to give some credit to the Toffees. The Blues have only conceded 38 goals this season, the tied fourth-lowest mark in the league. Despite their offensive struggles, it looked as though Nottingham Forest would leave yesterday's match with a well-earned point. That all changed in the last minute of the game.

Forest’s Murillo gave the ball away to Dwight McNeil, who played an incisive pass to Abdoulaye Doucouré. The Mali international fired home a bullet, sending the visiting fans into a frenzy. While still a big win for Everton, the result now means that Nottingham Forest are in serious risk of not finishing in a top five spot, which (at the moment) would guarantee a spot in next season’s Champions League.

Neco Williams following the loss - Premier League | Shaun Botterill/GettyImages

The loss also comes at a really bad time for the reds. After a slow start to the season, top five rivals Manchester City and Aston Villa have picked up form. The reigning champions are unbeaten in their last four games, with a big 5-2 win over Crystal Palace yesterday. Villa are not doing too bad either. The Lions have five wins in their last five games. The battle for Europe’s top competition looks set to come down to the final matchday of the season.