Nottingham Forest grabbed a dramatic late victory at Villa Park, beating Aston Villa 2-1 with a winner from Igor Jesus. The result lifts Oliver Glasner's side to 12th in the Premier League table, now on five points from their opening four matches.
Liam Delap had earlier opened the scoring just 45 seconds into the second half, netting his first goal for the club. Villa equalised through substitute Alysson's header, but Forest struck decisively late on. Morgan Gibbs-White provided a clever backheel to Daniel Muñoz, whose cross was turned in by Jesus to seal the three points.
Glasner's tactical changes
Glasner was forced into a first-half change when Dan Ndoye suffered a facial injury in a collision with Ian Maatsen. The manager later described Ndoye as having 'a nose like a boxer in the 12th round'. Igor Jesus came on as his replacement and proved the match-winner. Forest were already without injured defenders Nikola Milenkovic and Jair Cunha, while Nicolò Savona remains on the injuries list.
Villa's own problems mounted quickly. Pau Torres was substituted midway through the first half with a hamstring issue that could keep him out for a month. Maatsen was then injured and forced off, leaving the hosts with ten men for the final stages as Unai Emery had used all five substitutes by the 63rd minute. John McGinn finished the game as an emergency left-back.
Key moments and saves
Forest goalkeeper Zion Suzuki made two important saves, including stopping a header from Xaver Schlager. At the other end, Matz Sels denied Victor Lindelöf twice in quick succession, with Murillo smacking an attempted clearance against his own post during the same chaotic sequence. Delap also had a shot disallowed for offside after he believed he had doubled Forest's lead.
The build-up to Delap's goal showed Forest's pressing. Murillo dispossessed Emiliano Buendía before Delap jinked clear of Ross Barkley, dribbled diagonally across the pitch and finished with an unerring right-foot shot.
Emery's post-match reaction
Villa boss Unai Emery took full responsibility for his team's second-half performance, which he described as poor. He was also frustrated by a first-half challenge from James McAtee on Maatsen, which he felt warranted a red card. "It's a clear tackle behind the player and, for me, it should be a red card," Emery said. He added, "But it's not an excuse for how we played the second half. We played so poorly and this is my responsibility."
The victory extends Glasner's impressive personal record against Emery to eight meetings without defeat, comprising six wins and two draws. Forest's recent form shows one win, two draws and two losses from their last five outings. They now turn their attention to a home fixture against bottom-placed Coventry City on Saturday. Check the fixtures page for the full schedule at the City Ground.
