Aston Villa 4-2 Nottingham Forest: Douglas Luiz double sees Villa fend off Forest fightback
Aston Villa defeated Nottingham Forest 4-2 at home in the Premier League on Saturday, with Douglas Luiz scoring twice and striker Ollie Watkins and winger Leon Bailey setting each other up for goals.
Jamaican Bailey looked lively from the start, and he set up Watkins in the fourth minute with a perfect pass through the legs of a defender for a simple close-range finish.
Villa had great success attacking down Forest's left flank, and in the 29th minute, Jacob Ramsey pulled the ball back for Douglas Luiz, who scored his eighth league goal of the season.
Luiz scored again ten minutes later, heading home a perfect cross from John McGinn, but defender Moussa Niakhate's goal from a corner chested home in the fifth minute of stoppage time gave the visitors hope.
Three minutes after the break, Morgan Gibbs-White pulled one back for Forest, quieting the home crowd, but their faith was quickly restored when Youri Tielemans hit the post, and Villa began to reclaim their lead.
Eight minutes later, Bailey restored their two-goal lead, slotting home from close range after a deflected effort by Watkins.
Forest fought hard but only managed one more shot on goal, and Watkins could have added his second with a late strike that went high and wide.
Villa remain fourth in the table with 52 points, three behind Arsenal, while Forest are 16th with 24 points, four above the relegation zone.
After the game, Luiz credited Villa coach Unai Emery for giving him the confidence to attack.
"I just think he has lifted me, it is the truth. He has told me every day, you need to defend, and if you go you need to score," he said in a TV interview.
"We train at this every day, the gaffer helps us so much. The character of Ollie and Leon, it is great to have them in my team," Luiz added.
Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo was disappointed with his team's defending, particularly the early goal that set the tone for Villa.
"We started very bad, we conceded too easily. This is something we have to improve... They attack from both sides, it is our responsibility to solve the problem. We will analyse the game to rectify and improve," he told the BBC.
SportsLigue