An own goal from Murillo gave us the lead in the first half, but Villa were unable to protect that advantage as Neco Williams produced an excellent finish to bring the hosts level.
Villa were guilty of missing big chances in the second half in particular, with both Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins being wasteful in front of goal and in turn missing the opportunity to secure all three points for us.
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It’s a decent point on the road against a difficult team on paper, and it arguably moves us a step closer to achieving our ultimate objective this season in terms of qualifying for the Champions League.
However, it certainly could, and perhaps should, have been so much better, as we’ll rue the chances that went by which could have sealed all three points to keep our winning run going and stretching the gap over our rivals in the battle for a top-five finish.
### Aston Villa player ratings vs Nottingham Forest:
**Marco Bizot, 6.5 –** Difficult situation for him having once again been asked to come into the starting line-up late after Emi Martinez pulled out in the warm-up, but he did well for the most part. Produced some good saves and commanded his area well, but will be disappointed about conceding.
**Matty Cash, 6 –** An early booking likely hindered his decision-making for the rest of the game, and although he lacked quality going forward when in advanced areas, he worked hard defensively throughout.
**Victor Lindelof, 7.5 –** Proving to be a very savvy signing last summer, as he continues to show composure, control, experience and a commanding presence in the backline. Solid shift to keep Forest quiet up front.
**Pau Torres, 7 –** His partnership with Lindelof looks a strong one, and while he also impressed defensively, he’ll be slightly disappointed with his distribution at times given the standard he is capable of setting.
**Lucas Digne, 6 –** Defended well for the most part and played in a good pass in the build-up to our goal. Was caught out at times with Omari Hutchinson proving to be a tricky assignment.
**Amadou Onana, 6 –** Often an important presence in that midfield battle, but it felt as though he had gears to go through and could be more imposing when playing at his best. A decent shift though.
**Youri Tielemans, 6 –** Still working towards top form as there were moments in this game where he doesn’t look quite sharp enough as of yet, but also showed his class at times too as our leading figure in the heart of the side.
**John McGinn, 7.5 –** Impressive effort from the Villa skipper, as he did well retaining possession and helping us build passages of play that ended with a goal threat, while he worked tirelessly defensively. Only red mark would be not closing down Williams quicker for the goal.
**Ross Barkley, 6 –** Showed positive signs in the first half as he was able to link things together and show his technical ability on the ball, and almost forced a winner when his effort was parried out and should have been converted on the rebound. Strugged at times too in a physical scrap in midfield but good to see him getting consistent minutes.
**Morgan Rogers, 5 –** Forced the own goal with a dangerous cross and hit the crossbar in the first half, but that was about as good as it got from him. Guilty of missing a huge chance in the second half as he blazed over, and his habit of giving possession away cheaply is frustrating. Whether it’s an injury, fatigue, lack of confidence or some or all of the above, he’s got to get going again.
**Ollie Watkins, 5.5 –** Similarly to Rogers, he missed a massive opportunity in the second half that should have sealed all three points for us. He’ll be kicking himself for missing that one and one in the first half, and although he worked hard to lead the line, those were some big moments in the game where he must be clinical.
### Substitutes:
**Douglas Luiz, N/A**
**Emiliano Buendia, N/A**
**Ian Maatsen, N/A**
**Tammy Abraham, N/A**
**Andres Garcia, N/A**