Aston Villa recorded a seventh straight win as they survived a second-half scare to beat Champions League-chasing rivals Nottingham Forest 2-1 and move into sixth in the Premier League.
Unai Emery made eight changes after the 3-0 win at Brighton, with Villa just days away from a huge Champions League quarter-final tie against Paris Saint-Germain, but you would not have known it as Morgan Rogers and Donyell Malen scored inside 15 minutes.
Rogers and Youri Tielemans, the only outfield players to keep their place in the team, combined for the first goal, which was followed by the second just two minutes later. Forest, without defenders Ola Aina and Alex Moreno, were all at sea.
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Morgan Rogers fires Villa in front against Nottingham Forest
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Donyell Malen scores a second for Aston Villa
Substitute Jota Silva pulled a goal back for Forest before the hour, but they were unable to capitalise on the momentum shift, as the absence of injured strikers Chris Wood and Taiwo Awoniyi told.
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Jota Silva’s strike deflects into the bottom corner as Nottingham Forest pull a goal back
Just one of their 12 second-half shots hit the target, although defender Murillo nearly scored a stunning stoppage-time equaliser, striking the bar with a powerful effort from 25 yards out.
Villa held on to record a seventh consecutive win in all competitions ahead of a huge month, with games against PSG, Newcastle, Man City and then Crystal Palace in the FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley. They are hitting form at the right time.
Forest, who were unbeaten in four games, ultimately paid the price for first-half defensive errors, with Morato fiddling with his shinpads for the opener and Nico Williams unable to track Malen before he tapped in at the back post.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side remain in third, with fifth expected to be enough for Champions League qualification, but Chelsea could move to within two points if they beat Brentford on Sunday, while Villa are now six points behind them.
More to follow.
