Aston Villa responded emphatically to their midweek reality check, beating struggling Nottingham Forest 3-1 at fortress Villa Park on Saturday to surge into second place in the Premier League.
Unai Emery’s side, stung by a 4-1 defeat at Arsenal, showed no hangover as Ollie Watkins and John McGinn inspired a commanding display that briefly lifted Villa above Manchester City in the title race.
Watkins set the tone on the stroke of half-time, firing Villa deservedly ahead after relentless first-half pressure. The England striker, continuing his hot streak, rifled home from outside the box for his fourth goal in three games after being teed up by Morgan Rogers.
Villa wasted little time after the break. Just four minutes into the second half, McGinn
doubled the lead, side-footing home from a Matty Cash cross as Forest’s defence wilted under sustained pressure.
Forest, who arrived in Birmingham on a three-game losing run, briefly threatened a comeback when Morgan Gibbs-White produced a delightful chipped finish over Emiliano Martínez in the 61st minute. But any hopes of a turnaround were extinguished by a moment of sheer calamity at the other end.
In the 73rd minute, Forest goalkeeper John Victor inexplicably charged out of his goal to attack a long ball from Youri Tielemans, despite having defenders covering. McGinn gleefully pounced, skipped past the stranded keeper and rolled the ball into an empty net from distance to seal the points.
The victory underlined Villa’s dominance at home. Emery’s men have now won 11 straight matches at Villa Park since their opening-day defeat to Crystal Palace, quickly restoring belief after doubts were raised about their title credentials earlier in the week.
Villa controlled large spells of the contest, enjoying nearly 80 percent possession in the first half and limiting Forest to sporadic threats. Martínez was only seriously tested once before the break, denying Omari Hutchinson with a sharp save.
The result lifts Aston Villa to 42 points, just three behind leaders Arsenal and one ahead of Manchester City, who face Chelsea on Sunday. Arsenal travel to Bournemouth later on Saturday.
For Forest, the slide continues. They remain just one place above the relegation zone, four points clear of West Ham, with pressure mounting as the season reaches a crucial phase.
Villa, meanwhile, are firmly back on track — and very much in the title conversation.
