Aston Villa continued their formidable home form with a 3–1 victory over Nottingham Forest at Villa Park, preserving their unbeaten run on home soil despite recent setbacks elsewhere.
Unai Emery’s side had seen their 11-game winning streak in all competitions end with a heavy 4–1 defeat at Arsenal earlier in the week, casting doubts over their title credentials. However, Tuesday’s win reaffirmed their strength at Villa Park, where they have now won 11 consecutive matches since a 3–0 loss to Crystal Palace in August.
Villa began brightly on a freezing afternoon in Birmingham and nearly took an early lead when John Victor produced a point-blank save with his legs to deny Ollie Watkins. Nottingham Forest, managed by Sean Dyche and arriving on a three-match losing streak, struggled to impose themselves early on.
Despite Villa’s dominance — including nearly 80 percent possession in the first half — the visitors nearly struck first when Emiliano Martínez was forced into a sharp diving save to deny Omari Hutchinson.
Watkins eventually broke the deadlock late in the first half, receiving a pass from Morgan Rogers outside the penalty area before rifling home his fourth goal in three matches.
Villa doubled their advantage four minutes after the restart when John McGinn side-footed home from close range following a precise cross by Matty Cash.
Forest fought their way back into contention in the 61st minute as Morgan Gibbs-White produced a delicate chipped finish over Martínez, reducing the deficit and briefly unsettling the hosts.
However, Villa restored their two-goal cushion in the 73rd minute after a costly error from Forest goalkeeper John Victor. The keeper inexplicably rushed off his line to meet a long ball from Youri Tielemans despite defensive cover being present. McGinn capitalised calmly, evading Victor and finishing into the empty net from distance to seal the win.
The victory moves Villa to 42 points, three behind league leaders Arsenal and one ahead of Manchester City. Arsenal travel to Bournemouth later on Saturday, while City host managerless Chelsea on Sunday.
Forest remain just above the relegation zone, four points clear of West Ham, who face Wolves later in the day.
