Dwight McNeil insists Everton “can’t get carried away” after Sunday’s victory over Nottingham Forest - but says the win gives the Blues confidence ahead of Wednesday’s Merseyside derby.

The winger doubled the Toffees’ advantage at Goodison Park during the 2-0 triumph against Forest, a result which means Everton have won two of their past three Premier League fixtures.

Recovering from defeat at Chelsea on Monday evening, the Blues secured their 10^th clean sheet of the season, and only Arsenal (15) have recorded more during the campaign.

Reviewing a strong showing, McNeil told evertontv: "We knew Monday was nowhere near good enough. It was really bad - everyone knew that. Today was about trying to put it right, and we did. 

“And now we have a massive week ahead. We can’t sit on this win too much because we know the job’s not done and we need to win more games. But it’s good to have that win going into the derby on Wednesday.

“Today, it’s massive for the defensive lads and Picks [Jordan Pickford] - another clean sheet at home. We’ve scored two goals, and the main thing is we’ve got another three points.”

Against Forest, McNeil - aged 24 years and 151 days - became the 11^th youngest Premier League player to reach 200 appearances in the competition.

Marking the fixture with a crucial second goal for his side in the 76^th minute, the winger revealed he’d like to be more prolific with his attacking output.

“I try to do my job as best I can and it’s nice to add that to my game,” he explained, discussing his powerful finish. “I do want to impact more games with goals and assists. I’m always happy to get on the scoresheet and help the lads get the three points.

“I think [it gives us] belief and that confidence within the group going into the massive derby on Wednesday. That’s our main focus now.”

Everton were boosted throughout the game by an atmospheric Goodison Park and McNeil was keen to praise the “family” of fans for their role in the win, adding: “It was class. For the ones who travelled down on Monday, it just wasn’t good enough from us. Today, they were right there behind us, despite what happened on Monday night.

“It shows how much of a family these fans are, and how much they care about Everton. They were brilliant with us all the way through the game.

“We have to enjoy the win today, but we can't get carried away. We have to recover, train well, prepare well, and deliver another performance here for the fans, and for us at Goodison.”