Aston Villa (H) 12/04/26

Nottingham Forest 1-1 Aston Villa

Williams 38'                                 Murillo 23' OG

With the final international break of the season over, the final push begins. Forest have seven games left to ensure they survive and retain their Premier League status. The first of these fixtures: Aston Villa at home.

Both sides were welcomed back to playing on Thursday in the Europa League. Forest travelled to Porto where they held out for a 1-1 draw whilst Villa took a trip to Bologna to take a 3-1 lead back to Villa Park. If these two are successful next week, they will face off in the semi-final of the competition. However, in the league they are both playing for two different things. Forest sit just two points above the relegation zone as Tottenham currently occupy that 18^th spot. Tottenham are the team Forest beat in their final game before the break, coming away from North London 3-0 winners to end a seven match winless streak. Pereira named the same starting XI he relied on in this game, after switching it up in Europe. However, the Reds haven’t won at home in the league since December to you guessed it, Tottenham! They have also failed to score in their last three at the City Ground. As for Villa, they are pushing to play Champions League football next season. This was helped by their 2-0 win over West Ham in the last Premier League match week. Emery made three changes from this fixture with the most notable being a last minute goalkeeper swap as Martinez got injured in the warm-up.

Since promotion back to the Premier League, Forest are unbeaten against Villa at the City Ground, winning the last two meetings. Could they make it three or would Villa complete the double over them?

Forest started the game the better team but it was the same story as the rest of the season: they were struggling to find that cutting edge. From 228 shots at the City Ground this Premier League season, they have only scored 13 which is a conversion rate of 5.7% (the lowest home conversion rate by any topflight side since 20/21). Despite their dominant start, the hosts found themselves behind. On the left, Digne found the unmarked run of Rogers in the box towards the byline. He put in a low cross into the six yard box which just hit Murillo and it bundled in off his knee. In ten out of thirteen games where Villa have taken the lead, they have gone onto to take all three points.

Just two minutes later, Villa had almost doubled their lead. With some lovely football, McGinn passed to Rogers who was driving towards goal. Meanwhile, Watkins made an unmarked run into the box to put himself into a brilliant position. Rogers saw this run and played the ball to him first time. His touch was slightly heavy, allowing Sels to come out and make a superb save as Watkins tried to poke it past him. Despite a good move from Villa, Forest can’t be that wide open at the back.

The visitors were really clicking into gear now. McGinn received the ball on the right before finding Rogers in space in the box. He took on the shot from a tight angle which crashed off the crossbar. Forest didn’t let this unsettle them too much as they found an equaliser. Aina received the ball on the right and he darted towards the byline and lofted a cross in. He may have slightly over hit the cross but Hudson-Odoi bought it down with a lovely touch on the left of the area. He wayed up his options before choosing to pass back to Williams on the edge of the box who fizzed a first time finish into the bottom left corner.

Just moments after his first goal, Williams searched for another, linking up with Hudson-Odoi again. The winger drove down the left before passing back to Williams 25 yards out. He took a touch to set himself before firing towards that same corner he saw ripple not long ago. This time Bizot was equal to the effort, getting down to push it behind.

After an entertaining first half, the second half started slow with no side grasping a foothold. It took 15 minutes for the first real effort. Aina chipped a ball over the top to Jesus who had made a run towards the right of the box. He managed to bring it down brilliantly before shrugging off the Villa defenders. He turned towards goal before laying it across to Gibbs-White. His effort hit ex Forest player, Cash, forcing Bizot to make a last second stop with an outstretched leg.

All the second half drama fell into a five minute period. Up the other end, Tielemans skipped past Sangare in midfield and broke forward. He noticed McGinn in a brilliant position making a run into the box to the right of him. The Scotsman took the effort first time looking to curl it into the bottom left corner but Sels got down really well to palm it away. Almost immediately, Villa won the battle in midfield and Digne got them forward as he dribbled down the left. He broke into the box and fired a low effort towards goal from a tight angle. Sels palmed the ball back into the six yard area which Watkins couldn’t quite get to but behind him Rogers looked set to score from ten yards. He ran onto the ball but blazed the shot well over the bar.

Forest pushed for all three points, leaving them vulnerable on the counter. However, neither time could find another breakthrough, as the game ended all square.

This was an improved performance but the same problems keep occurring. We aren’t making the most of the areas we are getting into and then at the back, we leave ourselves open and really vulnerable. Luckily it didn’t really cost us today but it does need to be assessed. My man of the match was Williams as he was defensively really solid but he also added to the attack with a lovely goal to show for that.

Forest: Sels; Williams, Milenkovic, Murillo, Aina (Ndoye 89’); Anderson, Sangare; Hudson-Odoi, Gibbs-White (Dominguez 84’), Hutchinson (Wood 65’); Jesus (Yates 89’)

Aston Villa: Bizot; Digne (Maatsen 78’), Torres, Lindelof, Cash (Garcia 90’); Tielemans, Barkley (Luiz 77’), Onana; Rogers (Buendia 78’), Watkins (Abraham 87’), McGinn