Premier League GW26 - Aston Villa vs Nottm Forest

Aston Villa vs Nottm Forest | Picture Credits: Premier League Website

Aston Villa hosted Nottingham Forest in a thrilling Premier League match that was expected to be exciting, dramatic, and full of goals at Villa Park. With Villa seeking a top-four finish and Forest attempting to escape the relegation zone, the stakes were high for both sides.

Aston Villa:

Unai Emery's team, who had recently started to struggle at home, went five games without losing away from home after Aston Villa's 2-1 victory over Fulham last week, a complete turnaround from their previous performance at home this season: Villa has dropped their past three home games in all competitions coming into today's meeting in Birmingham. The Lions are currently in fourth place in the Premier League standings, two points ahead of Tottenham Hotspur in the race for Champions League qualifying, following their victory at Craven Cottage thanks to a brace from Ollie Watkins. They were drawn to play Ajax, the fallen titans, in the Europa Conference League's round of sixteen yesterday.

Nottm Forest:

Though they surprised everyone three months ago by defeating Aston Villa 2-0 at the City Ground, Nottingham Forest has not triumphed over their fellow European Cup winners at Villa Park since 1994. With last week's 2-0 home victory over West Ham, Forest—who had only two away victories in the Premier League all season—now sits 16th in the rankings, four points above Luton Town and the relegation zone.

Line ups:

ASTON VILLA (4-2-3-1): Emi Martinez; Matty Cash, Clement Lenglet, Pau Torres, Alex Moreno; Douglas Luiz, John McGinn, Leon Bailey, Youri Tielemans, Jacob Ramsey; Ollie Watkins.

SUBS: Robin Olsen, Joe Gauci, Moussa Diaby, Morgan Rogers, Nicolo Zaniolo, Calum Chambers, Lucas Digne, Kaine Kessler, Tim Iroegbunam.

NOTTINGHAM FOREST (4-2-3-1): Matz Sels; Neco Williams, Felipe, Murillo, Moussa Niakhate; Nicolas Dominguez, Danilo; Anthony Elanga, Morgan Gibbs-White, Callum Hudson-Odoi; Taiwo Awoniyi.

SUBS: Matt Turner, Giovanni Reyna, Cheikhou Kouyate, Andrew Omobamidele, Harry Toffolo, Rodrigo Ribeiro, Divock Origi, Ryan Yates, Gonzalo Montiel.

Villa Park Stadium | Picture Credits: The Guardian

First Half: Early Domination - Watkins Strikes First:

Ollie Watkins gave Aston Villa the lead in the fourth minute, demonstrating their dominance right away.

John McGinn and Leon Bailey, a steady menace down the right, worked a great combination to set Watkins up. Bailey found Watkins with a pinpoint low pass after driving to the byline, making it easy for Watkins to tap in. Villa jumped out to a 1-0 lead, throwing Forest for a loop.

Niakhate had to clear the ball off the line in the ninth minute to keep Watkins from scoring a second goal, giving Forest's already beleaguered defence a scare. The Forest defender showed fortitude while emphasising the increasing strain.

In the 29th minute, Aston Villa's constant efforts paid off when Jacob Ramsey found Douglas Luiz with a crisp ball while under little pressure. With a composed finish, the Brazilian gave Villa a 2-0 lead and put Forest under pressure.

John McGinn set up another Villa goal in the 39th minute, just before halftime. Douglas Luiz received a well-delivered corner, and he neatly headed the ball into the net. Villa had a dominating 3-0 lead at the half.

Forest made a comeback in the last seconds of the first half. Villa's lead was sliced to 3-1 when Niakhate chested in a header from a corner that Awoniyi had headed in. Forest alluded to a potential return.

Second Half: Forest's Resurgence - Gibbs-White and Origi Strike Back:

A second-half comeback by Nottingham Forest cut the gap and kept Villa on its toes.

A well-weighted pass from Divock Origi sent Gibbs-White behind Villa's defence in the 48th minute. With a deft lift of the ball over Martinez, the midfielder cut the lead to 3-2.

In the 53rd minute, Tielemans struck the post on an opportunity for Aston Villa. Despite Forest's defence being caught off guard, they were fortunate enough to have the ball bounce off the woodwork.

Villa restored their two-goal advantage in the 61st minute. Tielemans played Watkins through, and Watkins tried to turn Sels. Bailey smoothly steered the ball into the net, saving the custodian. Villa secured breathing room by leading 4-2.

Forest tried to take advantage of defensive breakdowns, but they were trailing because of wasted opportunities.

Forest had a chance to close the score in the 75th minute, but Yates missed a fantastic opportunity. Villa's high line was exposed by Gibbs-White's accurate free-kick, but the substitute was unable to score.

Villa Triumphs in Six-Goal Thriller:

After an exciting 4-2 match, Aston Villa was declared the winner over Nottingham Forest. The early goal frenzy combined with Forest's fierce comeback to have supporters on the edge of their seats. The team led by Unai Emery displayed their attacking ability and picked up three vital points in the hunt for a top-four finish. Despite brief periods of optimism, Forest currently has difficult games against Liverpool and Manchester United. The Premier League action is still as wild as ever, with Villa celebrating their return to winning ways at home.

Watkins scored a goal within 4 minutes as the game started which gave Villa a 1-0 lead | Picture Credits: Premier League Website

Luiz scored a goal which doubled the lead for Villa to 2-0 | Picture Credits: Premier League Website

Luiz scored one more goal which tripled Villa's lead | Picture Credits: Premier League Website

Niakhate scored a late goal in the first which kept Forest's hopes alive | Picture Credits: Premier League Website

Gibbs-White's scored a goal for Forest which got them up to 3-2 | Picture Credits: Premier League Website

Bailey's goal gave Villa a strong lead of 4-2 | Picture Credits: Premier League Website