Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest Report
Scorers: Rogers 13’, Malen 15’; Silva 58’
Aston Villa kept their top-four hopes firmly on track with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Nottingham Forest at Villa Park, making it 17 home games unbeaten in the Premier League.
Early goals from Morgan Rogers and Donyell Malen set the tone, and although Forest responded strongly in the second half, Unai Emery’s side held firm to secure a vital three points ahead of a crucial UEFA Champions League tie against PSG.
First Half: Villa Ruthless as Forest Sleepwalk
Villa wasted no time in asserting themselves, catching Forest cold with a cleverly worked free-kick inside the opening 15 minutes.
Youri Tielemans picked out Morgan Rogers with a deft chip over the top, and the in-form winger made no mistake, firing low and hard through the legs of Matz Sels to open the scoring.
Just two minutes later, the hosts struck again. Ian Maatsen, on loan from Chelsea, delivered a pinpoint cross to the far post where Donyell Malen, unmarked, tapped home to punish slack Forest marking.
Forest looked rattled and disjointed, but they slowly grew into the contest. A brilliant solo run from Anthony Elanga ended with a narrowly wide strike, and Callum Hudson-Odoi squandered a similar chance moments later, giving Villa an early warning that the game was far from over.
Second Half: Forest Fight Back but Fall Short
After the break, Forest came out rejuvenated. Neco Williams and Hudson-Odoi both came close to reducing the deficit with curled efforts that narrowly missed the target, before Jota Silva, introduced at half-time, gave the visitors a lifeline.
His deflected strike found the bottom corner, leaving Emiliano Martínez wrong-footed and pulling Forest back into the contest with half an hour still to play.
From there, momentum swung Forest’s way. Elliot Anderson came agonisingly close to levelling the score with a curling effort, prompting Emery to make a triple substitution to regain control.
Despite Forest’s pressing, it was Rogers who nearly settled the match after a dazzling dribble, only to be denied by Sels’ quick reactions.
Forest weren’t done yet. Williams flashed an effort across the face of goal late on, and in stoppage time, Murillo’s thundering strike rattled the crossbar, inches away from a dramatic equaliser.
But Villa weathered the storm to claim a seventh consecutive win in all competitions, form that is peaking at just the right time.
Key Stats
- Aston Villa are unbeaten in 17 Premier League home matches
- Morgan Rogers has now scored or assisted in three straight league appearances
- Donyell Malen’s goal was his third in Villa colours
- Nottingham Forest have lost five of their last seven away games in all competitions
- Unai Emery’s side have won seven straight matches ahead of their trip to PSG
What It Means
- Aston Villa keep the pressure on the current top four and may leapfrog rivals should results elsewhere go their way.
- Unai Emery’s men are now well-positioned ahead of a critical week in Europe, with the Champions League quarter-final first leg against Paris Saint-Germain looming.
- Nottingham Forest, meanwhile, showed spirit but paid the price for a poor opening quarter. While still in the European places, they’ll need to bounce back quickly to avoid being dragged into the chasing pack.
Looking Ahead
Villa’s winning run and fortress-like home form offer them immense confidence ahead of their trip to Paris, while Forest must regroup and recover their composure if they’re to stay in the European race — they simply can’t afford to start matches as slowly as they did here.
This may not have been vintage Villa for 90 minutes, but the combination of ruthlessness, resilience, and structure under Emery makes them a serious threat — both domestically and in Europe.
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Aston Villa v Nott’m Forest, 2024/25 | Premier League