Aston Villa claimed a confident 3-1 victory against Nottingham Forest in Matchday 20 of the Premier League held on Saturday. John McGinn was the star of the show, netting two crucial goals in the process (3’ and 72’). Ollie Watkins also contributed by scoring just before halftime in the 45th minute. Nottingham Forest managed to find the net once with a goal from Morgan Gibbs-White in the 60th minute of the second half.
McGinn’s remarkable display made him the player of the match, with two goals, 36 completed passes, and two shots on target. Youri Tielemans also impressed, recording 67 successful passes and recovering 2 balls during the match.
Aston Villa’s coach, Unai Emery, set his team up in a 4-5-1 formation with Emiliano Martínez in goal; Matty Cash, Ezri Konsa, Victor Lindelöf, and Ian Maatsen forming the backline; Boubacar Kamara, Youri Tielemans, John McGinn, Morgan Rogers, and Emiliano Buendía in midfield; and Ollie Watkins leading the attack.
Meanwhile, Sean Dyche’s Nottingham Forest opted for a similar 4-5-1 setup, featuring John Victor in goal; Ola Aina, Nikola Milenkovic, Murillo, and Neco Williams in defense; Elliot Anderson, Nicolás Domínguez, Omari Hutchinson, Morgan Gibbs-White, and Dilane Bakwa in the midfield; with Igor Jesus as the forward.
Simon Hooper officiated the match held at Villa Park. Looking forward, Aston Villa is set to face Crystal Palace away while Nottingham will visit West Ham United in their next game.
With this win, Aston Villa now has 42 points, positioning them in second place. Nottingham Forest, on the other hand, sits at 17th with a total of 18 points.
Substitutions for Aston Villa
68’ – Ian Maatsen out for Lucas Digne, Emiliano Buendía for Jadon Sancho, Ola Aina for Nicolò Savona, Dilane Bakwa for James McAtee
82’ – Ollie Watkins out for Donyell Malen, John McGinn for Lamare Bogarde
89’ – Matty Cash out for Andres Garcia
Yellow Card for Aston Villa:
48’ – Lamare Bogarde (Unsporting Behavior)
Substitutions for Nottingham Forest
77’ – John Victor out for Matz Sels
83’ – Nicolás Domínguez out for Douglas Luiz, Igor Jesus out for Arnaud Kalimuendo
Yellow Cards for Nottingham Forest:
19’ – Dilane Bakwa (Unsporting Behavior), 43’ – James McAtee (Unsporting Behavior)