Aston Villa achieved a notable 3-1 victory over Nottingham Forest in the 20th round of the Premier League, held on Saturday at Villa Park. John McGinn stood out as the star of the match, netting two goals (3’ and 72’) that were instrumental for his team’s success. Ollie Watkins also contributed by scoring just before halftime in the 45th minute. Nottingham Forest managed to pull one back through Morgan Gibbs-White, who found the net in the 60th minute of the second half.
McGinn’s performance was exceptional, as he completed 36 successful passes and took two shots on goal, making him the key player of the match. Youri Tielemans also had a solid showing with 67 successful passes and 2 balls recovered.
Aston Villa’s manager, Unai Emery, set up his team in a 4-5-1 formation, featuring Emiliano Martínez in goal, with Matty Cash, Ezri Konsa, Victor Lindelöf, and Ian Maatsen in defense. The midfield included Boubacar Kamara, Youri Tielemans, John McGinn, Morgan Rogers, and Emiliano Buendía, while Ollie Watkins led the attack.
On the other hand, Nottingham Forest, managed by Sean Dyche, also deployed a 4-5-1 setup with John Victor guarding the net. The defense was composed of Ola Aina, Nikola Milenkovic, Murillo, and Neco Williams, with the midfield formed of Elliot Anderson, Nicolás Domínguez, Omari Hutchinson, Morgan Gibbs-White, and Dilane Bakwa. Igor Jesus was positioned as the striker.
Simon Hooper officiated the match. Looking ahead, Aston Villa will face Crystal Palace away in their next fixture, while Nottingham Forest will take on West Ham United in an away match.
With this result, Aston Villa climbs to 42 points and secures the second place on the table, whereas Nottingham Forest remains in 17th place with 18 points.
Substitutions for Aston Villa
- 68’ 2T – Ian Maatsen out for Lucas Digne, Emiliano Buendía out for Jadon Sancho, Ola Aina out for Nicolò Savona, Dilane Bakwa out for James McAtee.
- 82’ 2T – Ollie Watkins out for Donyell Malen, John McGinn out for Lamare Bogarde.
- 89’ 2T – Matty Cash out for Andres Garcia.
Yellow Cards for Aston Villa:
- 48’ 2T – Lamare Bogarde (Unsporting behavior)
Substitutions for Nottingham Forest
- 77’ 2T – John Victor out for Matz Sels.
- 83’ 2T – Nicolás Domínguez out for Douglas Luiz, Igor Jesus out for Arnaud Kalimuendo.
Yellow Cards for Nottingham Forest:
- 19’ 2T – Dilane Bakwa (Unsporting behavior)
- 43’ 2T – James McAtee (Unsporting behavior)