In Aston Villa’s match against Nottingham Forest, the home team had the advantage and won 3-1.

Nottingham Forest suffered their fourth consecutive defeat as they were beaten by title challengers Aston Villa. A superb performance from Ollie Watkins and a first Villa double since 2019 from John McGinn kept Villa in the hunt for the Premier League title.

Forest’s only bright spot was a goal from captain Morgan Gibbs-White, while the Reds’ defensive woes continue to plague their current winless run.

Aston Villa 3-1 Nottingham Forest: McInbreth puts Villa ahead of Manchester City

Despite Aston Villa’s best efforts at Nottingham Forest, the visitors remained determined and were grateful to goalkeeper John Victor for making numerous saves.

Sean Dyche’s side were in rare disarray in Villa’s half as they looked to use long balls to deny striker Igor Jesus.

However, the Brazilian lacks any real contribution and has still managed just one Premier League goal this season.

At the end of the first half, Villa finally got their due after scoring another goal outside the penalty area.

Villa’s Watkins was in fine form again, scoring for the third consecutive game, hitting the ball past the outstretched Victor to give the home side a 1-0 lead at the break.

Four minutes into the second half of Aston Villa’s match against Nottingham Forest, Villa captain John McGinn made the headlines when he came on as a substitute in the 4-1 loss to league leaders Arsenal and returned to the starting eleven to double his side’s advantage.

Forest got a goal back just one hour into the game, and captain Gibbs-White took the responsibility on his shoulders.

The Reds’ No. 10 was blocked by Dilane Bakwa on a breakaway, before firing the ball past Emiliano Martinez and into the top corner of the net.

However, with around 15 minutes left the game was a game away from home and Victor made a costly mistake as the ball fell to McGinn who grabbed his brace and scored the third goal as Villa won 3-1.

Forest’s costly mistakes will obviously be punished against a team fighting for the title, but Villa produced a performance worthy of the title with a strong attacking display and a stellar defensive performance.

Forest’s struggles continue as winless run continues

The defeat leaves Nottingham Forest without a win in four games, following defeats at Fulham, Manchester City and Everton over the Christmas period.

One could put this down to their defensive woes, conceding 33 goals in 20 Premier League games, but the problem is that they can’t score.

The Reds are averaging less than a goal per game and will clearly struggle to replace Chris Wood’s goals from last season as the New Zealander continues to be sidelined with a knee injury.

No one has the fox-in-the-box instincts that Wood does, but again it has to be said that there is simply no provision for the forward players for something like this to happen.

Morgan Gibbs-White leads the way with four goals, but that’s nowhere near what Forest need, which is grit, passion and determination.

Obviously, it’s never going to be easy against the likes of Manchester City and Aston Villa. However, when you face teams that are close to you in the table, you have to be able to rely on some of your summer acquisitions to help you achieve your goals and keep you out of the relegation dogfight.

Having said that, Wolves’ first win of the season came against Forest’s relegation rivals West Ham United, and the Reds next face a strong six-pointer in the Premier League against West Ham United at the London Stadium.

Defensively, Forest looked good but needed to replace Chris Wood’s goal before it was too late and dropped them into the relegation zone again.

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McGinn returns to goal and leads by example

McGinn scored twice in seven years and the Aston Villa captain once again led by example after returning to the starting 11.

Villa’s number seven has been one of the stars of the West Midlands over the past seven seasons and his absolute consistency speaks volumes about his professionalism.

Reaching last season’s goal contribution rate in 14 fewer games also shows that McGinn has been able to find his regular attacking role and benefit from the creativity of wide players such as Morgan Rogers and Matty Cash, as well as the selflessness of Watkins.

The diminutive midfielder’s best season in a Villa shirt was his first, with seven goals and nine assists, and he can reach those levels because of his role in the team as a midfielder who drifts around the pitch.

In Emery’s system, McGinn is the key figure in transitioning from defense to offense and offense to defense.

The Scotland international’s role allows him to run freely and have the ability to cut inside and assume a more advanced No. 10 role.

With Emiliano Buendia alongside Rodgers, he was often able to swap positions with the aforementioned Argentine and use his creativity while also using his pressing to keep his team on top.

His last brace came against the same opponents when Villa were in the Championship, so McGinn’s brace has been a long time in the making, but it was certainly worth the wait as his side continue their march towards Premier League trophies.

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Credit: IMAGO/Professional Sports Photos

Record date: January 3, 2026