Nottingham Forest head coach Sean Dyche has described a costly mistake by goalkeeper John Victor in the 3-1 defeat to Aston Villa as a 'bad moment' for the Brazilian. The error allowed John McGinn to score his second goal of the match, effectively sealing victory for the hosts at Villa Park.
Forest had pulled a goal back through captain Morgan Gibbs-White with an hour played, reducing the deficit to 2-1. However, just over ten minutes later, Victor wandered out of his area and was caught out by a ball over the top from Youri Tielemans, which McGinn converted. The goalkeeper immediately signalled an injury and was substituted shortly after.
Dyche defended Victor's overall performance, noting a fine early save, but acknowledged the mistake was costly. 'It was only really the third goal. He made a fantastic save early on. It was an error from us, then a great finish from them for the first goal. The third is a bad moment for him and for us. The worst thing is he got injured as well so we will have to see how that settles down. I think it is his calf but I will have to wait for more news on that,' Dyche said.
Victor left the pitch in tears, replaced by Matz Sels. Dyche stressed that the players care deeply about their performances, despite recent lapses in concentration. 'The players have shown no lack of care over what we're trying to achieve. Unfortunately, the basic errors have crept in and they were not there when we first got here,' he added.
The defeat leaves Forest in 17th place, having lost four consecutive matches. They face a crucial clash against West Ham United on Tuesday, with the Hammers just four points behind. Dyche emphasised the need for focus and attention to detail to avoid further setbacks.
