Aston Villa boost Champions League hopes
Aston Villa 2 - 1 Nottingham Forest
Aston Villa boosted their hopes of Champions League qualification with a nervy 2-1 win over Nottingham Forest, surviving a spirited second-half comeback in an open and entertaining contest.
Villa looked to be cruising after a blistering start at Villa Park. Morgan Rogers opened the scoring with a cool finish following a well-timed run, and just two minutes later Donyell Malen doubled the lead by steering home Ian Maatsen’s cross from close range. With less than 15 minutes played, Unai Emery’s side appeared in full control.
To their credit, Forest recovered their composure after a disastrous opening and gradually worked their way back into the match. Anthony Elanga and Callum Hudson-Odoi both went close before the break as the visitors began to ask questions of the Villa defence.
Forest’s improved tempo continued into the second half and they were rewarded when substitute Jota Silva turned smartly inside the box to fire past the keeper on 57 minutes, halving the deficit and setting up a tense final half hour.
The visitors pushed for an equaliser, with Elliot Anderson and Neco Williams both narrowly off target. At the other end, Villa almost restored their two-goal cushion when Rogers surged through the Forest midfield on a solo run, only to be denied by an excellent save from Matz Sels.
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There was still time for late drama. Murillo came closest for Forest with a thunderous long-range effort that rattled the crossbar, while Sels was again called into action to stop Marcus Rashford, who had been sent clean through in the closing moments.
Villa’s victory moves them within one point of Chelsea in the race for a top-four finish. Despite the defeat, Forest remain in a great position but will be frustrated not to have taken at least a point from a match they grew into strongly.
Forest still in a good position defeat
Forest ultimately paid the price for defensive errors in the first half, as Morato distractedly fiddled with his shinpads for the opener and Neco Williams failed to track Malen, who tapped in at the back post.
Nuno Espirito Santo's side remain third, with fifth expected to be enough for Champions League. Chelsea could have reduced the gap on them to two points but it's four thanks to their dropped points at Brentford (head to London Super News for reaction to that).
A game of two halves from a Villa perspective
Paul:"It really was a game of two halves. We looked in control before the break and should have pushed for a third goal to put it to bed. Credit to Forest, though, they came out strong in the second half and could easily have snatched it. The fact we made eight changes from our last match says a lot about the squad depth we’ve developed under Unai Emery. It shows just how far we’ve come. The dream is still alive, and there’s a huge game away at PSG coming up this week. Keep the faith!"
Rebecca:"The key difference was that Forest lacked a clinical finisher, and their bench didn’t offer much in terms of changing the game. Emery’s decision to bring on García arguably gave Forest more attacking space, with Disasi sitting deeper. Still, it was a deserved win. Despite Forest peppering us with shots in the second half, we created the better quality chances overall, even if we didn’t need to take them in the end."
