Aston Villa secured a fourth consecutive win after seeing off Nottingham Forest on Saturday, with goals from Bertrand Traore and Ollie Watkins sealing a 2-0 victory.
It was a frustrating first half for Villa, as with the visitors happy to sit back and invite pressure on, we struggled to unlock their defence and find a breakthrough.
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However, with Traore scoring early in the second half, that opened up things up and we gradually improved, but we were made to wait to make the game safe as Watkins scored deep into injury time to wrap up the win.
Those three points move us up into sixth place for the time being, while that’s six wins in seven, and three consecutive clean sheets and wins at home as we continue to fight for a European qualification spot this season.
While it’s another solid win that keeps our momentum going, Unai Emery will undoubtedly have seen plenty of room for improvement too as we adapt to sides setting up in different ways.
Aston Villa player ratings vs Nottingham Forest:
Emiliano Martinez, 7 – A solid defensive performance from the team limited his involvement, but he was alert to danger when needed to either command his area, race out to clear a threat or save a rare Forest attempt on goal.
Ashley Young, 7 – Another top shift from the wily veteran as he did well defensively to limit the threat down his side, while he also provided the initial pass that sent Traore free down the flank leading up to his goal.
Ezri Konsa, 8 – Resilient and switched on throughout. Used his reading of the game and awareness to sweep up danger, cut out balls into the box and was tidy in possession. Further establishing a solid understanding and foundation with the rest of the backline to keep another clean sheet.
Tyrone Mings, 8 – A commanding performance in the heart of the defence. Solid in the air and on the ground, stepped in and won possession and was a physical presence at the back. Also pushed up with the ball to try and offer a different dynamic to our attacking play.
Alex Moreno, 8 – Settled in the side now as he is defending resolutely alongside his teammates while continuing to maraud forward consistently to offer width and an attacking outlet on the left flank. With better finishing from those around him, could have had an assist to his name.
Leon Bailey, 5 – Managed just 25 minutes before being forced to come off with a hamstring injury. Struggled again prior to that despite trying to be positive on the ball, but hopefully his likely stint on the sidelines now will help him recover both his fitness and confidence.
John McGinn, 7 – Influence grew in the second half as he was relatively quiet prior to that. Still covered plenty of ground and got stuck into the midfield battle, but wasn’t able to have the same impact in our attacking play until being pushed further up the field after Buendia was replaced.
Douglas Luiz, 6.5 – Not at his best today as he was a little sloppy in possession and didn’t use the ball as effectively as he has done in recent weeks. Lost out in dangerous areas where we fortunately weren’t punished, but he played his part in the collective performance to secure the win.
Jacob Ramsey, 7 – Showed glimpses during the course of the game but was missing that final pass and cutting edge in the attacking third until injury time with his assist for Watkins. Was wasteful prior to that though after getting into good positions, and Emery will no doubt want him to be more ruthless.
Emiliano Buendia, 6 – Frustrating game for the Villa playmaker as he couldn’t have the influence on our play that he wanted. Continued to drop deeper to get on the ball and missed a big chance in the second half, but with Forest sitting back and preventing us from exploiting spaces between the lines, it was a difficult assignment for Buendia.
Ollie Watkins, 7 – Kept quiet for most of the game despite his movement and work ethic, and so it was a difficult afternoon for him. However, showed great touch and composure to dink his finish over Navas and keep his goalscoring run going. That’s now nine goals in his last 11 league outings as he continues to make a key difference,
Substitutes:
Bertrand Traore, 7 – Another crucial impact off the bench as his all-important opener after the break changed the course of the game. Did well to pounce on the defensive mistake and curl his effort into the back of the net, and will now hope to become a more consistent threat in the coming weeks if Bailey is sidelined.
Leander Dendoncker, 6 – Added fresh legs and defensive protection in front of the backline in the latter stages of the game.