Nigerian defender Ola Aina returned to action after several months on the sideline, but could not help Nottingham Forest from falling to a 3-1 defeat to Aston Villa, SportPremi Reports.
Ollie Watkins opened the scoring in the first half, before John McGinn added a second half brace either side of a consolation strike from Morgan Gibbs-White to condemn the Tricky Trees to another defeat.
Aston Villa, meanwhile return to winning ways and move to second on the EPL standings, bouncing back from their 4-1 defeat to Arsenal in their last match.
Villa return to winning ways with dominant performance
Nottingham Forest were boosted by the return of Ola Aina ahead of the clash, with the Nigerian playing a key role in their renaissance last season.
It was Aston Villa who started on top at Villa Park and the in-form Ollie Watkins was denied inside five minutes by a stunning save from John Victor.
Ian Maatsen and Morgan Rogers also failed to score from promising positions, while Omari Hutchinson tested Emiliano Martinez with a rasping drive.
Watkins broke the deadlock in first-half stoppage-time with a thunderous effort, scoring his fourth goal in three matches.
John McGinn doubled the tally four minutes after the restart with a well taken strike, before Bakwa missed an attempt to pull one back for Forest.
The visitors would get on the scoresheet just after the hour mark through superstar Gibbs-White, who finished superbly over Martinez.
However, the two-goal lead was restored as McGinn grabbed his second of the game after calamitous goalkeeping by Victor allowed him to score into an empty net.
The gamed ended 3-1 in favour of Aston Villa, who moved up to second on the standings ahead of Manchester City who face fourth-placed Chelsea on Sunday.
Nottingham Forest meanwhile remain in 17th place, four points above the drop zone.
Players Ratings:
Aston Villa Players Ratings
- Martinez – 7.7/10
- Cash – 8.0/10
- Konsa – 7.5/10
- Lindelof – 7.3/10
- Maatsen – 7.0/10
- Kamara – 8.0/10
- Tielemans – 8.3/10
- McGinn – 8.9/10
- Rogers – 7.3/10
- Buendia – 6.9/10
- Watkins – 8.0/10
Substitutes
- Digne – 6.2/10
- Sancho – 6.0/10
- Bogarde – N/A
- Malen – N/A
- Garcia – N/A
Nottingham Forest Players Ratings
- Victor – 3.9/10
- Williams – 5.7/10
- Milenkovic – 5.8/10
- Aina – 6.0/10
- Hutchinson – 6.4/10
- Dominguez – 6.6/10
- Anderson – 6.1/10
- Gibbs-White – 7.8/10
- Bakwa – 7.2/10
- Jesus – 5.4/10
Substitutes
- Savona – 6.1/10
- McAtee – 6.0/10
- Sels – 6.2/10
- Luiz – N/A
- Kalimuendo – N/A
Man of the match
John McGinn (8.9/10) – The Aston Villa attacker grabbed a brace to lead his side to victory, including a brilliant second goal.
Key Stats
Ball Possession: Aston Villa 73% – 37% Forest
Total Shots: Aston Villa 11 – 10 Forest
Shots on target: Aston Villa 4 – 5 Forest
Pass Accuracy: Aston Villa 90% – 72% Forest
Corners: Aston Villa 4 – 4 Forest
What Next?
Aston Villa head to Crystal Palace on Wednesday, hoping to record another victory to continue their impressive form this season.
Nottingham Forest, on the other hand, visit relegation-threatened West Ham United on Tuesday.
