Aston Villa Defeats Nottingham Forest 3-1 to Extend Home Winning Streak
Aston Villa secured a 3-1 victory over Nottingham Forest at Villa Park, marking their 11th consecutive home win under manager Unai Emery. Ollie Watkins opened the scoring for Villa, marking his 250th appearance for the club and his sixth goal in eight games. John McGinn added two goals, his first in the Premier League since September; his second was a spectacular 30-yard strike after the Forest goalkeeper John Victor came off his line. Morgan Gibbs-White responded for Forest, pulling one back to make it 2-1 following a through pass from Dilane Bakwa.
Villa dominated early proceedings, controlling 81% of possession with Youri Tielemans completing 26 passes in the opening 15 minutes, outpassing Forest's 21. Notably, Neco Williams, playing left-back after Ola Aina’s return from a long-term hamstring injury, was dispossessed by Morgan Rogers who provided the assist to Watkins.
This win moved Aston Villa within three points of the league leaders, allowing them to overtake Manchester City, who had recently beaten Villa 4-1 at the Emirates Stadium. For Nottingham Forest, the defeat marked their fourth consecutive loss, leaving them in relegation danger.
