Latest Nottingham Forest news as Vitor Pereira's Reds claim big 1-1 draw with Aston Villa at the City Ground
16:51, 12 Apr 2026Updated 16:54, 12 Apr 2026
Neco Williams of Nottingham Forest celebrates scoring
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Neco Williams of Nottingham Forest celebrates scoring
Vitor Pereira hailed his team’s character as Nottingham Forest came from behind to earn a valuable 1-1 draw with Aston Villa at the City Ground.
The Reds made it five unbeaten in all competitions thanks to Neco Williams’ equaliser cancelling out a Murillo own goal. With six games to play, they are three points above the relegation zone.
It was a fiercely-contested game on the banks of the Trent and the hosts survived a number of scares. But they also pushed to try to take all three points, with head coach Pereira bringing on Chris Wood to join fellow striker Igor Jesus up front for a time.
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“One point is one point,” Pereira said. “Of course we want to win the game but we faced a team that is playing to reach the Champions League.
“It was a game with a lot of chances. We had some chances to score more goals and they had chances to score more goals.
“It was an open game until the last minute. In the end, I’m happy with one point because one point is better than nothing.
“I remember the game against Liverpool (a 1-0 defeat). If we had got one point from that game it would have been very important.
“This is a moment of the season where it is very difficult to win games, even for the teams at the top of the table. We saw what happened with Arsenal (losing to Bournemouth). Why? Because every team has something to fight for. In the end, one point is a good point.
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“We faced a strong team with a very good manager. They have worked with each other for a long time.
“In the end, we need to be resilient and understand that it will be a marathon until the end. It is not thinking about just one game.
“This is the time to show talent and character, because talent is not enough. We need to show character and the spirit of a fighter and of a champion, without complaint.
“We prefer to be fighters and fight every day. Even when we make mistakes, it helps us move forward. With responsibility and spirit we will fight until the last game.”
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