SM
Liverpool vs. Man Utd: 16 hrs 16 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews
Collect News Data
AV
Premier League | Gameweek 26
Feb 24, 2024 at 3pm UK
Villa Park
NF

Aston Villa
4 - 2
Nott'm Forest

Watkins (4'), Luiz (29', 39'), Bailey (61')
Moreno (57')
FT(HT: 3-1)
Niakhate (45+5'), Gibbs-White (48')
Murillo (15'), Felipe (45')

Aston Villa outclass Nottingham Forest in a six-goal thriller to stay in top four

:Headline: Aston Villa outclass Nottingham Forest in a six-goal thriller to stay in top four:
A brace from Douglas Luiz in between goals from Ollie Watkins and Leon Bailey saw Aston Villa run out 4-2 winners against Nottingham Forest at Villa Park this afternoon.
Sports Mole

A brace from Douglas Luiz in between goals from Ollie Watkins and Leon Bailey helped Aston Villa run out 4-2 winners against Nottingham Forest at Villa Park on Saturday afternoon.

The victory at Villa Park takes Unai Emery's side five points clear of fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur in the race for the top four, while Forest remain just four points above Luton Town, who are the first side below the dotted line.

After going three goals down in the first half, the visitors put on a much better showing in the second period, cutting the deficit to 3-2 with goals from Moussa Niakhate and Morgan Gibbs-White, but they squandered a few very presentable chances late on and were made to pay for their wastefulness.

Emery opted for an unchanged lineup to the side he fielded in their 2-1 win over Fulham last week, while Nuno Espirito Santo made just one change from his team selection against West Ham United, with Niakhate replacing Nuno Tavares, who was left out of the matchday squad.

Aston Villa, who were in a slight slump following back-to-back defeats to Chelsea in the FA Cup and Manchester United in the league a few days later, managed to get back to winning ways with a victory over Fulham last weekend and came flying out of the blocks against Forest.

Bailey, who has enjoyed an extended spell in the starting 11, looked particularly menacing during the opening exchanges, and it took just four minutes for the winger to create the first chance of the afternoon, bamboozling Niakhate down the right flank before rolling a perfect ball across the six-yard box for Watkins to tap in.

That strike marked the England international's 14th league goal of the 2023-24 Premier League season and was also Villa's 25th first-half goal in 26 games, which is more than any other side in the top flight this season.

Watkins almost doubled his side's advantage just five minutes later when Jacob Ramsey picked him out with a cross into the centre, which he fired at goal from 12 years out, but Niakhate managed to throw himself in the firing line to block the attempt that was clearly heading for the target.

Forest were evidently struggling to keep up with their opponent's slick passing, and the hosts continued to dictate the flow of the game leading up to the half-hour mark when Matty Cash bombed down the flank and put a good ball into the box that fell to Ramsey, who set up Luiz for the Villans' second goal of the afternoon.

As half time approached, it seemed as though Villa had wrapped up the match when John McGinn recycled a corner and whipped in a dangerous right-footed cross into the opposing penalty area, which Luiz got on the end off and powered home a header to claim his second of the afternoon and Villa's third.

With that, Forest have now conceded a total of 23 first-half goals in their 26 games so far this season, putting them behind only Burnley and Sheffield United, who have both conceded 26 goals in the first half.

However, the visitors got a lifeline at the stroke of half time when they earned a corner, which was headed back across goal and fell to Niakhate, who made no mistake with a close-range finish.

Santo rang the changes at the break, bringing on Divock Origi, Harry Toffolo and Andrew Omobamidele for Murillo, Felipe and Taiwo Awoniyi, respectively, and Origi made an instant impact as he picked out Gibbs-White in the box, who clipped a beautiful shot into the far corner to cut the deficit to a single goal just two minutes after the restart.

The visitors were by far the better side in the early stages of the second half and should have drawn level in the 50th minute when Nicolas Dominguez put Anthony Elanga clean through on goal, but the former Manchester United man lacked the composure needed and dragged his shot off target.

With Forest pushing for an equaliser, Villa began to find space in transition and got a much-needed fourth goal to settle everyone down through Bailey, who got on the end of a Watkins attempt that deflected off Matz Sels and fell perfectly into his path. He made no mistake with the finish, taking his side 4-2 up just after the hour mark.

The Reds created a few half-chances in the final 20 minutes of the match, but Emery's men had clearly set up to play on the counter and saw the game out to keep them firmly in the race for Champions League football next season, while Forest are still only four points above the drop.

Aston Villa will return to league action next weekend when they head to Kenilworth road to face relegation candidates Luton Town, while Nottingham Forest make the trip to Anfield to take on league leaders Liverpool. body check tags ::

amp_article__537498 : Collect and Make Data not in DataBase  : 
last updated article - 2024-02-27 01:06:10:
html db last update - 2024-02-27 01:06:10 :

ex - 7200 : read : write cache and make html
Share this article now:


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!
Recommended Next on SM
Forest without Gibbs-White, Elanga for Brentford clash
Head-ing home disappointed: Controversial Brighton penalty denies Arsenal crucial win
Haaland hits brace and Savinho shines as Man City put West Ham to the sword
Everton plotting move for Roma's Tammy Abraham?
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool18143145172845
2Arsenal20117239182140
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest1911442619737
4Chelsea20106439241536
5Newcastle UnitedNewcastle20105534221235
6Manchester CityMan City2010463627934
7Bournemouth209653023733
8Aston Villa209563032-232
9Fulham197842825329
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2061043029128
11Brentford208393835327
12Tottenham HotspurSpurs20731042301224
13West Ham UnitedWest Ham206592439-1523
14Manchester UnitedMan Utd196492126-522
15Crystal Palace204972128-721
16Everton193881525-1017
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves1944113142-1116
18Ipswich TownIpswich1936101833-1515
19Leicester CityLeicester2035122344-2114
20Southampton2013161244-326
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.

history www

Erling Haaland's record vs. West Ham

1

EH

Guardiola breaks PL record - but Man City are "absolutely not" back to their best

2

GB

West Ham vs. Man City: Head-to-head record and past meetings

3

WH

No dramas: Barca too strong for Barbastro as Flick's side advance in Copa del Rey

4

ND

Electric Ethan! Arsenal 17-year-old makes history with Brighton goal

5

EE

"Really bad news" - Arsenal suffer crushing injury blow in Brighton draw

6

&B

Head-ing home disappointed: Controversial Brighton penalty denies Arsenal crucial win

7

HH

Is he the One? Liverpool 'compile dossier' on possible Nunez replacement

8

IH

Haaland hits brace and Savinho shines as Man City put West Ham to the sword

9

HH

Arsenal targeting Bayern star as Saka replacement

10

AT


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .