Steve Cooper was left frustrated that Nottingham Forest were not awarded a penalty as their second home defeat in eight days left him under mounting pressure.
Everton’s 1-0 victory means Forest have won only one of their last 10 matches, with club owner Evangelos Marinakis’s patience wearing thin.
But the outcome could have been different had referee Paul Tierney been sent to the screen by VAR to check an apparent foul by Abdoulaye Doucoure on Ryan Yates as the Forest midfielder tried to meet a corner.
Moments later Dwight McNeil scored the only goal.