Villa Down Forest 2-1, Extend Unbeaten Home Run and Push for European Spot

Birmingham(The Uttam Hindu):  Aston Villa secured a crucial 2-1 victory over Nottingham Forest, boosting their chances of finishing in the top four of the Premier League. The hosts dominated the first half at Villa Park, taking the lead in the 13th minute through Morgan Rogers' 13th goal of the season. Just two minutes later, Donyell Malen scored his first goal at Villa Park, assisted by Ian Maatsen. Forest improved after the break and pulled one back in the 57th minute through a deflected shot by Jota Silva. Despite some tense moments in the final stages, Villa managed to hold on for all three points, climbing to sixth in the league table and extending their unbeaten run at home to 17 matches.

Villa head coach Unai Emery reflected on the game: "We started dominating in the first half because they played with a medium-low block and didn’t press high. We created chances and scored. In the second half, I wasn’t happy. They changed tactics, pressed higher, and we didn’t dominate as we should have." With the win, Villa moved level on points with Manchester City, who will face Manchester United on Sunday, while Forest remained in third place but missed the opportunity to close the gap on Arsenal. Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo acknowledged his side’s slow start: "We were unorganized in the first half, and Villa broke us down multiple times. We performed better in the second half, were more aggressive, and created problems for Aston Villa."