Aston Villa beats Nottingham Forest in the Premier League
With a hard-fought victory, goals in less than two minutes and a 16-game unbeaten run at home, Aston Villa are level on points with Manchester City, fifth in the English league
Summary
In an intense game at Villa Park, Aston Villa beat Nottingham Forest 2-1 and remain firmly in the fight for the Premier League’s G-5. The match, valid for the 31st round, had more than 30 shots and was decided in the first half. Rogers opened the scoring in the 17th minute with great skill, finishing between the goalkeeper’s legs. Two minutes later, Malen took advantage of a low cross and extended the lead. Villa was sovereign on the field. After the break, Forest reacted and reduced the lead with Jota Silva in the 11th minute, rekindling the visitors’ hopes. But Villa knew how to hold the pressure and manage the advantage until the final whistle. With the result, Aston Villa reaches 51 points, ties with Manchester City and remains firmly in the fight for the top of the table.
IT WAS EXCITING UNTIL THE END!
The first half was dominated by Aston Villa, who started by pressing and showing who was in charge of the game. After just 17 minutes, Rogers appeared behind the defense, controlled a precise pass and coolly slotted the ball between the goalkeeper’s legs to open the scoring. And Forest didn’t even have time to breathe: two minutes later, Malen completed a low cross into the middle of the area and scored the second goal. 2-0 with less than 20 minutes gone.
Only then did Nottingham Forest wake up. From the 22nd minute onwards, they began to pose more danger and showed signs of a comeback, but they lacked the creativity to convert this into a goal. Villa, in turn, controlled the game well and held on to their advantage comfortably until half-time.
In the second half, Forest came out with a different attitude. Pressing hard, they managed to reduce the deficit in the 11th minute with Jota Silva, who finished off a low cross with a beautiful shot. The match got heated: Villa bet on counterattacks and almost scored with Rogers. The game was open, with chances for both sides.
In the final minutes, Murilo hit the post with a powerful shot from outside the box and almost equalized. On the counterattack, Rashford had the chance to kill the game, but was stopped by the goalkeeper. An electrifying end to the match, with Villa winning and both teams showing why they are having good moments this season.
KEEP AN EYE ON THE TABLE
With this result, Aston Villa is now close to the top five, tied with Manchester City on 51 points. Guardiola’s team plays against Manchester United tomorrow. Nottingham Forest remains in third place with 57 points.
