Elanga scores late winner for Forest
Nottingham Forest 2 - 1 Aston Villa
Anthony Elanga came off the bench to score a dramatic injury-time winner as Nottingham Forest turned a 1-0 deficit into a thrilling 2-1 victory over Aston Villa at the City Ground.
The Swedish forward struck in the third minute of stoppage time, threading the ball through Emiliano Martinez's legs to send Forest up to fourth in the Premier League table.
Earlier, Villa’s Jhon Duran looked set to be the hero once again. Starting back-to-back Premier League games for the first time, the Colombian striker celebrated his 21st birthday in style, powering in a header for his 11th goal of the season.
Forest thought they’d equalised when Chris Wood bundled the ball home, but the goal was ruled out for an offside in the build-up. Moments later, Nikola Milenkovic restored parity with a close-range header—his second goal in two games.
With the City Ground crowd in full voice, Elanga capped the comeback with his first goal of the season, securing Forest’s sixth win in nine matches. Villa, meanwhile, remain in sixth place.
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It is shaping up to be a memorable season Nottingham Forest
For much of the match, it seemed Jhon Duran’s goal would be enough for Villa. The 21-year-old, who has been Europe’s most prolific "super-sub" this year, had stepped up impressively in Ollie Watkins' absence.
Duran was substituted in the 74th minute for Watkins, with Villa holding onto their 1-0 lead. Just four minutes later, Forest introduced Elanga, and the game turned on its head.
Elanga quickly set up Chris Wood to tap home, but VAR chalked it off for a marginal offside. Undeterred, Forest kept pressing, and their persistence paid off when Nikola Milenkovic headed home from Morgan Gibbs-White’s pinpoint cross. The goal squeezed through Martinez’s grasp, leaving Forest fans believing a winner was possible.
With seven minutes of added time, Forest kept the pressure on. Elliot Anderson’s determination to win the ball high up the pitch proved pivotal. His cutback to Elanga was inch-perfect, and the Swede’s composed finish sealed a memorable victory.
>Duran or Watkins for Aston Villa?
Jhon Duran is making a strong case to start more regularly for Aston Villa. His goal against Forest was his third in as many games, following a winner against Southampton and a midweek strike in Villa’s Champions League win at RB Leipzig.
Incredibly, Duran has netted six times as a substitute this season—more than anyone else across Europe’s top five leagues. Yet, he has started just five matches in all competitions, despite scoring in all of them.
While Ollie Watkins has seven league goals to his name, Duran’s clinical touch is becoming harder to ignore. With Watkins recovering from a minor injury, manager Unai Emery faces a tantalising selection dilemma as Villa aim to strengthen their push for European qualification.
