Aston Villa reinforced their credentials as genuine Premier League title contenders with a commanding 3-1 victory over Nottingham Forest at Villa Park, a result that marks their 11th consecutive home league win.
Villa's Immediate Response to Arsenal Setback
Just days after a sobering 4-1 defeat at league leaders Arsenal, Unai Emery's side showed remarkable resilience to immediately return to winning ways. The three points saw them overtake Manchester City in the table, moving within three points of the summit ahead of City's Sunday fixture.
The victory was spearheaded by captain John McGinn, who ended his Premier League goal drought with a well-taken second-half brace. His first goals since September proved decisive in seeing off a Forest side now mired in a relegation battle after a fourth straight defeat.
Watkins Marks Milestone in Dominant Display
The hosts set the tone from the outset, dominating possession and creating early chances. Ollie Watkins, celebrating his 250th appearance for the club, opened the scoring in style. After being denied from point-blank range by Forest goalkeeper Matz Sels in the second minute, Watkins made no mistake later in the half, receiving a pass from Morgan Rogers, turning, and firing a powerful strike into the net from the edge of the area for his fourth goal in three games.
Villa's control was so complete in the opening stages that midfielder Youri Tielemans had completed more passes (26) than the entire Forest team (21) within the first quarter of an hour.
McGinn Seals the Deal After Forest Flicker
Any hopes of a Forest comeback were quickly dampened after the break. Just four minutes into the second half, McGinn doubled Villa's lead, finishing smartly with his left foot from a first-time cross by Matty Cash.
Forest's Morgan Gibbs-White provided a brief moment of hope for the visitors, expertly dinking the ball over Emi Martínez after latching onto a through ball to make it 2-1. However, any tension was extinguished when Sels made a catastrophic error, rushing out of his goal to meet a Tielemans pass only to be rounded by the alert McGinn, who calmly slotted into an empty net from 30 yards.
The result underscores Villa's remarkable season, which continues to defy underlying statistics. Analysts note that if the league table were based on expected goals difference, Villa would have started the weekend in 15th place. Instead, their clinical edge and formidable home form have them firmly in the Champions League positions, applying pressure at the very top of the Premier League.
