Aston Villa continued to surpass expectations as they responded to their midweek humbling at Arsenal with a 3-1 win over Nottingham Forest that restored momentum to their top-four push. Ollie Watkins marked his 250th Villa appearance with a spectacular opener in first-half stoppage time before captain John McGinn scored twice after the interval, either side of Morgan Gibbs-White's reply, to seal an 11th successive home league victory.
For much of the afternoon it looked as though Forest's deep-lying gameplan might frustrate Villa, who dominated possession but created little of note until Watkins's long-range strike. McGinn's crisp finish from Matty Cash's cross early in the second half appeared to have put the hosts out of sight, yet Gibbs-White's deft chip gave Sean Dyche's side hope before goalkeeper John Victor's reckless dash from his area allowed McGinn to curl into an empty net from 35 yards and end the contest.
Villa Turn Frustration into First-Half Breakthrough
Emery had demanded a reaction after the 4-1 defeat at Arsenal that ended Villa's 11‑game winning run, and his players responded with the kind of front-foot start supporters at Villa Park have come to expect. Within two minutes Morgan Rogers dispossessed Neco Williams in the box and the ball rolled invitingly for Watkins six yards out, only for John Victor to block with an outstretched leg in an early one‑on‑one that carried an expected‑goals value of 0.61.