Aston Villa beat Nottingham Forest 3-1 on Saturday to momentarily go second in the Premier League table as they bounced back well from their defeat at Arsenal.
WATCH — Full match replay
Ollie Watkins scored a stunner to give Villa the lead right on half time, then John McGinn doubled the lead early in the second half. Morgan Gibbs-White pulled a goal back to make it interesting but soon after McGinn made the most of a goalkeeping error to score his second and wrap up the win.
With the victory, their 11th in a row at home in all competitions, Villa move on to 42 points and are in the title race. Forest remain on 18 points and just above the relegation zone as they face relegation rivals West Ham next.
McGinn sums up Villa’s rise
If there is one player who sums up their rise under Unai Emery it is John McGinn. The Scottish midfielder has always shown incredible work rate and determination but Emery has taken his game to new levels. His two quality finishes made the difference and he oozes quality with everything he does. McGinn takes care with his passing and movement and is so specific in everything he does. He sets the tone for this Villa side with the way he works but also with the meticulous nature of everything he does. Emery is a stickler for doing the small things well and McGinn does it better than anyone for Villa.
What’s next?
Villa head to Crystal Palace on Wednesday, January 7. Forest head to West Ham in a huge game on Tuesday, January 6.
Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest score: 2-1
Watkins 45+1', McGinn 49', 73'; Gibbs-White 61'
Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest live updates! — By Joe Prince-Wright
McGinn extends Villa’s lead again!
His first-ever brace in the Premier League and it should seal the win for Villa. A long ball over the tip finds McGinn and John Victor comes rushing off his line. McGinn knocks it around him and finishes into an empty net from distance. Victor needs to come off with an injury as Matz Sels is on. Nightmare for Forest. Dreamland for Villa.
Gibbs-White with a beauty!
A ball clipped down the right finds the onrushing Gibbs-White and he does really well to dink the ball home over Martinez and in to the far corner. Game on!
Buendia whips a free kick just wide
Emiliano Buendia has a decent chance on the edge of the box from a free kick. He gets it up and over the wall nicely but the ball dips wide. Villa purring now.
Forest should pull one back
Hutchinson clips a lovely cross to the back post and Bakwa is unmarked but somehow puts his header wide. Sean Dyche can’t believe it. That was a huge chance for Forest.
McGinn slots home at the start of the second half!
Matty Cash picks out McGinn in the box and he opens up his left foot and finishes into the far corner. Villa strike early in the second half and they are cruising. Lovely celebration from McGinn there too! He walked like a crab and pretended to be the Hulk!
Half time: Aston Villa 1-0 Nottingham Forest
Right on half time Villa broke through with a stunner from Watkins. The in-form Villa striker had a big early chance, then Forest did well to frustrate them but Watkins wasn’t going to be denied and his beauty has Villa deservedly ahead.
Watkins smashes home a beauty!
Villa win the ball back from a Forest throw in and the ball is played in to Ollie Watkins. He turns and smashes a beauty into the top corner for his fourth goal in his last three games and he now has six goals in seven. Watkins scores with the last attack of the first half.
Martinez denies Hutchinson
Omari Hutchinson cuts inside and curls a beauty towards goal but Emiliano Martinez pushes it away. 30 minutes in and that is the first decent chance of the game for Forest.
Villa cranking through the gears
Overall a slow start in the cold conditions at Villa Park, but Villa are now upping the tempo and causing Forest some problems around their own box.
Victor denies Watkins
That is a big save from John Victor as he denies Ollie Watkins from close range. After a mistake in the Forest defense, Rogers gets the ball and Watkins was so close to a fourth goal in three games.
Aston Villa lineup
Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Lindelof, Maatsen; Kamara, Tielemans; McGinn, Rogers, Buendia; Watkins
Nottingham Forest lineup
Victor; Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams; Anderson, Dominguez; Bakwa, Gibbs-White, Hutchinson; Jesus
Aston Villa team news, focus
Center backs Pau Torres and Tyrone Mings remain out injured, while midfielder Amadou Onana is also out after coming off against Arsenal. Matty Cash and Boubacar Kamara are back from suspension, which is a huge boost. Donyell Malen could get the start up front but Ollie Watkins has scored three goals in his last two games. John McGinn will likely come back in to start.
Nottingham Forest team news, focus
Chris Wood, Dan Ndoye, Ola Aina and Ryan Yates are all out injured, while Willy Boly and Ibrahim Sangare are away at AFCON. Forest dominated the ball against Everton and had plenty of efforts on goal as Hutchinson, Gibbs-White, Igor Jesus and Hudson-Odoi are really dangerous on the counter as a quartet.
Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest preview
Villa were hammered 4-1 at Arsenal on Tuesday but were very good in the first half of that game and they sit six points behind league leaders Arsenal. Unai Emery has done a wonderful job and a top four finish would be a remarkable achievement.
Forest lost 2-0 at home to Everton on Tuesday, which was a surprise given their recent performances. Sean Dyche’s side remain in the relegation scrap but going forward they have shown plenty of promises in recent weeks.
Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest prediction
Villa looked tired against Arsenal in the second half but if they start fast and score early against Forest, it should be a routine home win. Aston Villa 3-1 Nottingham Forest.
How to watch Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest live, stream link and start time
Kick off time: 7:30am ET Saturday (January 3)
Venue: Villa Park — Birmingham
TV Channel: USA
Streaming: Watch live on USA Network
