Everton against Nottingham: Dyche wants response following 'horrid' night at Stamford Bridge.

As Everton prepares for a key match against Nottingham Forest in their fight to escape Premier League relegation, manager Sean Dyche has urged his squad to pick up their efforts following a humiliating 6-0 loss at Chelsea.
The Toffees are in a vulnerable position, having won only one of their last 15 league games and lying in 16th place, two points above the relegation zone.
However, they have a lifeline in the form of a game in hand over the three teams directly below them.

Everton has also suffered difficulties off the pitch, having been penalized points twice this season for financial infractions.

The team is now appealing a recent two-point deduction, having already had a 10-point penalty reduced to six on appeal earlier in the season.

With the stakes higher than ever, Sunday's match against Nottingham Forest at Goodison Park takes on new significance.

Nottingham Forest, only one point behind Everton in 17th position, are also fighting relegation and are appealing a four-point deduction.

“I know I’m in my infancy here of earning my spurs, and currently not deemed to be doing a very good job of it,” Dyche told reporters on Friday.

“That’s fine, but 15 games ago I was deemed to be the messiah, and everything was OK, and I had found the magic key. Fifteen games later you’re not. That’s life in football.

“We have to give more, I have to, I understand that. Some of the stuff I can’t control has affected us, and that’s difficult. I can’t control the Premier League, the points (deductions).

“Control on the pitch I’ve got to do better and we’ve got to do better, and they can hopefully continue to play their part, as they have been doing.”

Immediately after the Chelsea match Dyche, in charge at Everton since January 2023, described it as a “horrible defeat, arguably the worst of my career.”

With Everton fighting to keep its top-flight position, Dyche stated that there have been "a lot of home truths, a lot of sharing truths, me included, about what I expect from myself, the staff, and the players".

"We are saying, 'You can only do it as a group, you can't do it as individuals' and pulling that back together."