'Smile for now' - James Tarkowski gives honest view on Chelsea humiliation and Everton response

James Tarkowski told his Everton team-mates that now is not the time to get carried away after they produced a resilient performance against Nottingham Forest.

Long-distance strikes from Idrissa Gueye and Dwight McNeil earned the Blues a huge 2-0 win over Premier League relegation rivals Forest at Goodison Park on Sunday afternoon.

The victory moved Sean Dyche’s side five points ahead of Luton Town in the table, easing the club’s relegation worries in the process. The hard-fought win was also the perfect response to Monday’s 6-0 hammering at the hands of Chelsea.

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Five games remain for Everton this season, with home matches against Liverpool and Brentford to follow this week, and Tarkowski has warned his side that despite the win, they still have plenty of work to do in order to ensure they are playing Premier League football next season.

He said: “I’ll smile for now - we can enjoy it - but there is still a lot of work to be done. After Monday [against Chelsea], we needed to respond, and I think we did.

“These are tough games against teams down here [in the table], battling for their lives like we are. To come out on top, two great goals and a real resilient performance.

“Monday was a real bad day for us and for everyone at the club. To respond, get to our home ground and perform the way we have, and get three points, which is nice because it’s been a long time without winning many games.

“It’s nice to get three points on the board, but we’re not getting carried away.”