John Townley's Aston Villa player ratings after Unai Emery's side draw with Nottingham Forest in the Premier League
Morgan Rogers battled for the ball with Ola Aina
Morgan Rogers battled for the ball with Ola Aina(Image: Anna Gowthorpe/Shutterstock)
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Aston Villa were held to a 1-1 draw by Nottingham Forest at the City Ground after spurning several chances to claim their first away league win since January.
Murillo’s own goal handed the advantage to Villa, before Neco Williams equalised towards the end of the first half. Morgan Rogers then may well have produced Villa’s miss of the season after blazing the ball over from yards out when it was harder to miss than score.
Marco Bizot received a late call-up to the starting XI after Emi Martinez pulled out during the warm-up, and the Dutchman made his first save in the eighth minute, tipping Williams’ effort behind for a corner.
Ollie Watkins’ first action came in his own box, where he made a vital intervention at the back post to deny Forest a golden opportunity after Omari Hutchinson delivered a teasing cross following a recycled corner.
Villa struggled to gain a foothold in Forest’s half during the opening 15 minutes, but broke the deadlock in the 23rd minute when Rogers’ cross was turned into the net by Forest defender Murillo, who failed to get his feet sorted in time.
Moments after the restart, Rogers threaded a perfect pass into Watkins’ path, but he was denied by Matz Sels inside the box. Although the flag was raised for offside, replays suggested Watkins may have been onside.
As the first half drew to a close, Rogers struck the bar after being picked out inside the area. However, after losing possession cheaply in their own half, Forest equalised through Williams, who fired past Bizot from the edge of the box.
After Igor Jesus squandered a decent chance at the start of the second half, Youri Tielemans tried to guide the ball into the far corner on the volley after Nikola Milenkovic headed Matty Cash’s cross away, but the Belgian’s effort went wide of the target.
It took an hour for Villa to register a shot on target, which came when Amadou Onana struck across goal from the edge of the box, but it was comfortable for Sels.
Soon after, Morgan Gibbs-White was presented with a big chance to turn the game around when the ball fell to him in the box, but with it slightly behind him, he couldn’t generate enough power on his effort. Deflecting off Cash, Bizot reacted well by sticking out a leg to keep the game level.
Down the other end, Sels made an impressive stop of his own when McGinn tried to bend the ball into the far corner after being picked out by Tielemans.
The biggest chance of the game followed, as Rogers skied the ball from just yards out after it dropped invitingly to him following Sels’ parry of Barkley’s initial effort.
Another big chance went begging for Villa in the 79th minute when Emi Buendia fed Watkins in behind, but the striker couldn’t keep his shot down.
Ian Maatsen was also presented with a good chance late on, but his drive at the near post was saved by Sels.
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Player ratings
Marco Bizot
Bizot was called into the starting XI after Martinez pulled out. He was beaten shortly before half-time by Williams, who flashed the ball beyond him. He made a top save to deny Gibbs-White after his tame effort was deflected off Cash. 6
Matty Cash
Cash was unlucky to go into the book early on, but his sloppy first touch put him in a position where he had to lunge in on Gibbs-White. He enjoyed galloping forward into space down the right flank. 7
Victor Lindelof
Lindelof came back into the side as one of two changes, replacing Ezri Konsa. He was excellent once again this afternoon - such a shrewd addition to the team. 7
Pau Torres
Torres used the ball effectively after stepping up the pitch, and Villa’s opener came from the centre-back playing positively into Digne. 7
Lucas Digne
Digne played a lovely first-time pass to find Rogers’ run in behind the Forest defence, before Murillo then failed to deal with the attacker’s cross. He defended well today. 7
Amadou Onana
Onana’s first pass of the match was loose, but he quickly settled and was an effective foil to Tielemans in midfield. 6
Youri Tielemans
Tielemans continued in the double pivot, with Barkley further forward today. He took a risk in trying to escape Ibrahim Sangare in the 53rd minute but lost the ball, allowing Jesus to have a shot. He nearly grabbed his third assist in two games when he set up McGinn, whose effort was saved by Sels. Tielemans also made a key block to deny Williams in the 74th minute, as the full-back’s effort looked to be bending into the far corner. 6
John McGinn
We were treated to several McGinn spins in the first 20 minutes. He played well off the right today and came close to putting Villa in the lead just after the hour mark when he bent an effort towards the far corner, only to be denied by a fine save from Sels. 7
Ross Barkley
Emery opted to use Barkley in a more advanced role this afternoon. His effort on goal in the 65th minute nearly led to a second for Villa, but Rogers failed to score after Sels parried the ball. 6
Morgan Rogers
It was Rogers’ cross across the box which led to Villa’s opener, before he played a perfect pass into Watkins’ stride to set up another chance. He hit the bar shortly before Forest’s equaliser but gave the ball away cheaply, which led to the leveller. The 23-year-old was too sloppy in possession too often and missed a brilliant chance to put Villa ahead when he blazed over from close range. 5
Ollie Watkins
Watkins’ first action in the game was vital, as he denied what would have been a golden chance for Forest to take the lead at the back post after Hutchinson recycled a corner. Villa’s striker was then thwarted by Sels just after Murillo’s own goal. Should have kept his shot down in the 79th minute after being played in by Buendia. 6
SUBS
Douglas Luiz (for Barkley, 77'): N/A
Ian Maatsen (for Digne, 77'): N/A
Emi Buendia (for Rogers, 77'): N/A
Andres Garcia (for Cash, 90+1'): N/A
Tammy Abraham (for Watkins, 87'): N/A
Subs not used: Wright, Konsa, Bogarde, Bailey.
GOALS
Nottingham Forest: Williams (38')
Aston Villa: Murillo (OG, 23')
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