Steve Cooper excited by in-form Brennan Johnson after brace earned a point against Everton
- Planet Sport writer
- 6 March 2023
Nottingham Forest manager Steve Cooper is expecting more to come from Brennan Johnson after he scored twice against Everton to help his side to a 2-2 draw.
The 21-year-old Wales international scored twice in the 2-2 draw with Everton at the City Ground to continue his hot streak, taking his tally to five goals in his last seven Premier League games, with an assist also thrown in.
Johnson, who was integral to Forest's promotion last season, took time to settle in to life in the top tier but has now found his feet, with his boss excited about what is still to come.
"I don't mind talking about it because I see him every day and he only wants to get better, so he won't get too high or too low," Cooper said.
"His goals were great, his performance was very good.
"People are getting booked, tackling him, which means he's taking risks. He had a really good impact on the game.
"There's always another level to get to but I'm sure he's on an upward curve.
"He took a bit of a rocky road before the (World Cup) break but that was always going to happen and the other young players in the group are going through it now. But he's performing well and he's getting good numbers.
"As always it's about continuing to improve. But I see how committed he is and how much he wants to get better.
"He knows he still has a long way to go. That's natural because of his age and the fact that this is his first year in the Prem. But we're really pleased with Bren.
"He loves the club, he's a local boy who grew up just down the road. So it's great to see him banging two in."
Johnson's brace denied Everton a third win in six games under Sean Dyche after they had twice led through Demarai Gray and Abdoulaye Doucoure goals in the first half.
Things are looking up for the Toffees since the arrival of the former Burnley manager but they remain in the bottom three on goal difference.
Defender Michael Keane, who set up Doucoure's goal, says they are heading in the right direction.
"Everyone in there is disappointed not to come away with three points because I think we edged it but it must have been a good game to watch because it was end to end," he said on the club website.
"Mentally it's a step in the right direction. We came here and took the game to them. We made it difficult for them. We did a lot of the right things and they are things we need to carry on going forward.
"We spoke before the game about our away form not being good enough both this year and last season. It's a fresh start and we wanted to start putting things right."
