Nottingham Forest staged a dramatic late comeback to secure a 2-1 victory over Aston Villa, ending the visitors’ three-match competitive winning streak and propelling Forest into the Premier League’s provisional top-four.
Villa, fresh off a 3-2 UEFA Champions League victory over RB Leipzig midweek, faced a challenging task at the City Ground, where they’ve failed to win in five previous top-flight visits.
Villa applied early pressure, but Forest looked dangerous on the counter, with captain Ryan Yates firing wide.
The hosts then enjoyed a dominant spell, although headers from Chris Wood and Murillo failed to trouble the target.
Morgan Rogers emerged as Villa’s most threatening player, sparking strong penalty appeals when Elliot Anderson pulled him down in the area.
However, referee Samuel Barrott ruled the contact insufficient for a spot-kick. Villa came close to breaking the deadlock through Ezri Konsa, whose header narrowly missed following John McGinn’s precise free-kick.
With neither side able to convert chances, the first half ended goalless at a stadium notorious for its scarcity of goals this season.
The second half began with promise for Villa, but Forest quickly asserted themselves and nearly took the lead.
From a corner, Nicolas Dominguez connected with a header just three yards out, only for Emiliano Martinez to produce a stunning reflex save to keep the effort out.
Villa capitalized on that reprieve just minutes later. McGinn delivered a pinpoint cross to Jhon Duran, who powered his header past Mats Sels to put the visitors ahead.
Martinez was soon called into action again, denying attempts from both Neco Williams and Morgan Gibbs-White.
Forest thought they had equalized when Wood found the net, but VAR ruled the goal out for offside in the build-up. Undeterred, Gibbs-White floated a perfect ball to Nikola Milenkovic, whose header finally beat Martinez and leveled the scores.
Buoyed by the equalizer, Forest pressed for a winner. Their persistence paid off when Anderson’s low ball across the box found substitute Anthony Elanga.
The Swede calmly slotted the ball through Martinez’s legs, clinching a heroic victory for the hosts.
The win lifts Forest into the Champions League qualification spots, three points clear of Villa in sixth, although they’ve played one game more than Manchester City.
