Aston Villa bounced back in style with a 3-1 win over Nottingham Forest on Saturday, with John McGinn’s double inspiring us to secure all three points.
The players would have been disappointed after defeat at Arsenal in midweek, but it was important to produce a positive reaction this weekend and importantly, get back on the winning track immediately.
After dominating the first half, it was Ollie Watkins who eventually found a breakthrough with a stunning strike from distance just before the break, while a brace from McGinn in the second half helped us seal the victory.
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There was a nervy period after Morgan Gibbs-White got the visitors back into the game around the hour mark, but Villa settled and showed composure and maturity to restore that two-goal cushion and eventually seal a comfortable win.
The result moves us up to second place in the Premier League table for the time being, as we hope results elsewhere go our way this weekend to help us solidify our position in the top four in the standings.
Aston Villa player ratings vs Nottingham Forest:
Emiliano Martinez, 7 – Dealt with a few corners into his area much more effectively this time round, opting to punch to clear the danger. A relatively quiet afternoon for him, but he made some key saves when needed, but it was a fine finish from Gibbs-White to beat him for the goal.
Matty Cash, 7 – Big boost having him back after serving his suspension, as he adds balance, defensive solidity, energy and width down the right side. Solid shift from the Polish international.
Ezri Konsa, 8 – Excellent defensively as he was alert to danger throughout, while he remained composed and controlled in possession to help us deal with pressure and build our way up the pitch.
Victor Lindelof, 7 – Got caught out for the goal as he was dragged out of position and Gibbs-White stormed through, so the collective at the back needs to be tighter to cut those out when we’re playing with a higher line. That aside though, he put in another strong defensive display.
Ian Maatsen, 7 – His energy and the attacking dynamic he gives us down the left flank was critical in the first half as he stretched the pitch and played with intent to try and break in behind the Forest backline. Replaced in the second half, but he’s surely making that starting position his own now.
Boubacar Kamara, 8 – Majestic. Not that we needed a reminder of how important he is for us after his absence in midweek, he was superb in this game. Constantly broke up Forest’s play in our third, winning possession back, giving us a foothold and control in the midfield battle. That was a big reason as to why we were able to dominate and build sustained pressure.
Youri Tielemans, 8 – Played an important part in all three of our goals, most notably the third with a brilliant ball over the top to find McGinn. Controlled tempo and possession in yet another classy performance in the heart of our midfield.
John McGinn, 9 – What a return to the starting line-up for the skipper. Rested in midweek, you could see the difference that made as he was full of energy and battled across the pitch. Added real quality to that with his two goals, as both were top finishes in their own right. Man of the Match.
Emiliano Buendia, 6.5 – Struggled to really influence things in the final third, as although he occupied good positions and worked hard out of possession to help us dominate all over the pitch, he couldn’t find the creativity to go with that and help us carve Forest open more while in their deep, defensive set-up.
Morgan Rogers, 7 – Provided the assist for our first goal, as he did what he does so well in finding space between the lines and link our play together. Couldn’t offer more decisive play after that, but he was impressive again and key in our winning performance.
Ollie Watkins, 8 – Missed a big chance early on which would have been disappointing for him as getting an early goal could have opened things up for us much sooner. However, he more than made up for it with a sensational strike just before half-time to break the deadlock, and he continued to play a crucial role in our build-up play thereafter to continue to create openings.
Substitutes:
Jadon Sancho, 6 – Tidy shift off the bench as he kept us ticking along and threatening in the attacking third with his movement and technical ability on the ball.
Lucas Digne, 6 – Shored things up on the left flank in the latter stages as we looked to settle after Forest’s goal and see out the game to secure all three points.
Donyell Malen, N/A
Lamare Bogarde, N/A
Andres Garcia, N/A
