5 April 2025
Aston Villa 2 Nott’m Forest 1
Two sides met that firmly had they eyes on Champions League qualification for the remainder of the campaign. Nott’m Forest were the visitors to Villa Park, looking to see their remarkable season over the line. For Unai Emery’s side, they cannot afford to drop any points if they want to keep up with the sides above them as they look to chase down fifth spot.
Villa seem to be hitting form at the right time, having won their last six games in all competitions. Forest have been in third place in the Premier League for three months and want to that to continue to the finish now. The hosts almost opened the scoring when Asensio met a whipped cross from out wide. He tried to direct it to the far corner but it narrowly missed with Sels beaten.
The home fans did not have to wait long for that breakthrough. Tielemans slotted an inch-perfect pass through to Rogers. He ran into the box and drilled a left-footed shot past Sels as Villa Park erupted. It was a calm finish from the attacker, who was enjoying his football at club and international levels currently.
Most people are expecting to see a huge drop-off from Nott’m Forest this season akin to the current slump of Bournemouth. They appear to have too much about them to let that happen. Nuno Espirito Santo seems to have got his squad believing they belong where they are, and so they should. The league table very rarely lies after all.
However, they made the worst possible start to this game. Maatsen crossed in from out wide and Malen was first to it as he neatly finished from close range. This was threatening to turn into a mauling for the visitors. It was a lightning-quick start from Emery’s side and at this point you could see nothing but a home win in this match.
As an attack broke down for the hosts, Elanga sprinted away with the ball in what seemed like it could be a carbon copy of his goal against Man Utd. He did everything just as well but as he pulled the trigger, he dragged his effort narrowly wide of the far post. Martinez looked to be getting nowhere near it had he found the bottom corner.
Gibbs-White then won the ball back in the middle of the park. He played it through to Hudson-Odoi, who only had one thing on his mind. From a tight angle and, once again, it narrowly missed the far post. In just two brief attacks, this game could have been on all square. That should act as a stark warning to Unai Emery’s players.
After the interval, the visitors continued to press. Gibbs-White played a cheeky lofted pass over the defence. It was played into Williams, who sold his man brilliantly to open up a shooting opportunity. Having done all the hard work, all he had to do now was find the far corner. He shanked his shot so far wide it almost went out for a throw in.
It was all Nott’m Forest at this stage and the hosts were struggling to find answers. Hudson-Odoi cut in from the wing onto his right foot. Using the defender to shield his intentions, he looked to bend one around him into the far corner. With Martinez at full-stretch, it narrowly missed the far post and again had the Villa keeper well beaten.
Moments later Williams did well out wide and his cross fell to Jota Silva in the box. He span and drilled a shot past Martinez and into the net. It was an instinctive finish from the Forest man and suddenly, with half an hour remaining, we had a game on our hands again. The visitors were creating plenty with their talisman Wood up front to link play.
Forest had a massive chance to draw level when Hudson-Odoi played his way past the Villa defence. As he drove into the box, he laid it off to Yates, who looked to put one in the far corner. Like Groundhog Day, another effort missed the far post by inches. This one seemed to be the closest of the lot. The hosts were living a charmed life at Villa Park.
Aston Villa almost killed the game off as Rogers eased Murillo off the ball. He ran through and had support but only had one thing on his mind. He skipped past challenges until he was in front of goal but as he got his shot away, Sels made a great reaction block and gathered the ball at the second time of asking. You wondered whether they would pay for that miss.
How Nott’m Forest did not score another goal is quite the thinker. Firstly Gibbs-White rose to meet a cross in the middle but his glancing header went the wrong side of the far post. Then Williams glided into the box onto his left foot and looked to pass it into the far corner but it fizzed wide once again. By this stage it just didn’t seem like it was their day.
With time running out, Murillo decided to shoot from distance. His shot arrowed towards the goal with Martinez helpless to stop it but it cracked against the crossbar and came back out. Aston Villa held on for the three points and despite their nineteen shots in the game, Forest could not find that second goal to get anything out of this game.
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