Demarai Gray has praised the character of the Everton squad after they came from behind to draw 1-1 at home to Nottingham Forest.
Steve Cooper’s side looked to have won when Brennan Johnson scored with less than 10 minutes left, but Gray’s cool finish in the 88th-minute levelled the scores and gave Frank Lampard his first point of the season. The Toffees once again proved hard to break down at Goodison Park but lacked attacking firepower, with Dwight McNeil ending the game upfront.
Heads may have dropped last season when Johnson gave Forest the lead, but the home side continued to chip away at a stubborn defence and eventually got their rewards. And goalscorer Gray admitted that, while the squad are disappointed with two points dropped, there is fight and ‘character’ among the players - and with such fight, ‘the goals will keep coming.’
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“We’re obviously disappointed to concede when we did,” Gray told the club’s official website. “We switched off for a second, but we showed character to come back. I think last season, that wouldn’t be the case. It shows improvements – I believe we had 19 shots today – so if we keep having that many attempts on goal then surely the goals will keep coming.
“I think we controlled the game. We were good in possession, did well to get into areas in the final third. It was just the finishing touches today. It feels like a loss based on how we played in the game, but it’s positive. A point on the board and hopefully we can now get some momentum.
“It’s the character. At times last season, we may not have shown that. We’re showing it now and I’m sure we will at times over the course of this season and things will pay off. Against Chelsea, too, we were solid but in a split-second moment we give away a penalty.
“Against Villa, we switched off twice again, but I think we’re a lot more solid and compact this year. I think we’re difficult to play against. Teams will look at us and know that they’ll have to work for their results. It’s just about putting the formula together – doing the attacking and defending side all together.”
Gray was able to bring the Blues level when a penetrative out-to-in run caught the eye of Jordan Pickford whose pinpoint pass fell at the 26-year-old’s feet. With just Forest goalkeeper Dean Henderson to beat, the Everton winger held his nerve and slotted home - and after the game, he explained how the move had been pre-planned during the week.
“It’s something we work on in training,” the Everton forward revealed. “I saw the space and Pickford shows why he’s been England’s number one for a while. There was real quality on the kick and it found me and fortunately I’ve put it in.”
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