Everton picked up their first point of the season against Premier League newcomers Nottingham Forest.

The visitors appeared set to pull off a shock win on their visit in over 23 years when Brennan Johnson pounced to beat Jordan Pickford with a rebound shot.

But Frank Lampard’s side shared the spoils when Jordan Pickford sent a long ball for Demarai Gray, who rolled a cool finish into the Gwladys Street’s net.

Here were the key talking points from Goodison Park:

Blues finally off the mark

Zero points from the first two games of the new season is often a cause for alarm but a third would have plunged Everton into genuine crisis territory.

Losing a hat-trick of openers would equal their joint-worst start to a campaign since 1990/91, and appeared a genuine prospect against Nottingham Forest.

Until Demarai Gray’s late equaliser, Frank Lampard’s side ran the risk of finding themselves back in the same position the previous campaign ended.

Mercifully, the Blues are finally off the mark in the Premier League thanks to the winger’s calmly taken finish from Jordan Pickford’s route-one delivery.

Had they failed to take a point, Everton could legitimately argue they were hard done by in a game that saw them fashion multiple goal scoring chances.

Crucially, however, they still lacked a cutting edge as Salomon Rondon failed to recreate the havoc he had wreaked at Aston Villa exactly seven days prior.

With each passing game, the need to source a striker that can fill the void left by Richarlison’s departure, almost two months ago, is further exacerbated.

Remedying that in the final 11 days of the transfer window remains Everton’s utmost priority but they have, for now at least, staved off unwanted scrutiny.

Iwobi’s transformation is complete

Since the turn of the year, Alex Iwobi has been a man on a mission.

The Nigeria international’s Everton career was staring into the potential abyss upon returning from a frustrating Africa Cup of Nations with his homeland.

Yet Iwobi can finally claim victory on turning around those fortunes after making a 100th appearance for the club in now-typically impressive fashion.

Linking up with Tom Davies in the middle of the park, the first half alone saw him again showcase an array of invaluable qualities at both ends of the pitch.

Threaded passes became a regular outlet for his team to go on the offensive while multiple Forest threats were nullified by producing lung-busting runs.

It is difficult recall any Everton player in recent times who has successfully transformed the narrative of their time in the royal blue shirt quite like Iwobi.

In less than 12 months, the 26-year-old switched from a luxury option who had no fixed position in the team to a player that is now simply undroppable.

Was this Gordon’s farewell?

Some Evertonians were left fearing the worst after the final whistle.

While Lampard and his players acknowledged fans after their hard-fought point, Anthony Gordon hung back to applaud the Gwladys Street at length.

The homegrown winger’s future remains clouded in uncertainty as Chelsea continue to push to sign him ahead of the looming summer window deadline.

But little about Gordon’s performance against Forest suggested that he might have mentally checked out amid the ongoing links with Stamford Bridge.

As he often does at Goodison, the 21-year-old was a real hive of creativity in the final third and unfortunate not to snatch a goal in his own right late on.

Whether Gordon will be delivering a repeat performance when Everton next step out at home for September’s Merseyside derby is still a great unknown.

His lingering post-match moment may have been just that, but fans can be forgiven for hoping that clarity on the matter arrives sooner rather than later.