Aston Villa's Struggles Continue After Nottingham Forest Defeat

Nobody ever promised this would be straightforward.

At full-time, Tyrone Mings sank to the turf, the defender’s body language telling the Aston Villa story far more brutally than any stat sheet. A 2-1 home defeat to Nottingham Forest, three losses in their first four league games, and a fanbase suddenly staring at the table rather than the horizon.

If Coventry beat Brighton on Sunday, Unai Emery’s side will be bottom of the Premier League.

For a club that finished fourth last season and paraded the Europa League trophy around this same stadium in May, that sentence lands like a punch.

From fortress to fragile

Villa at least ended their barren run of 372 Premier League minutes without a goal. It did little to disguise the wider problem. The team that once devoured opponents at Villa Park now looks uncertain, brittle, and strangely quiet in the moments that used to roar.

This is the fourth time Villa have opened a top-flight season without a win in their first four games, matching 1992-93, 1997-98 and 2025-26. It also mirrors last season’s stuttering start, but the echoes feel more ominous now. Back then, Emery had answers. Right now, he has questions.

Forest, under Oliver Glasner, arrived with history against them and left with a landmark. A first league win at Villa Park since 1994. A first win as Forest boss. And a personal record intact: Glasner is now unbeaten in eight meetings with Emery.

He will savour this one.

Delap ignites, Villa unravel

The second half had barely begun when Liam Delap ripped up Emery’s team talk. Just 45 seconds after the restart, the Forest forward struck, setting the tone for a half in which Villa never truly regained control.

Delap bullied a makeshift, shaken backline all afternoon, even having another effort ruled out. Forest finished with 22 shots and 32 touches in Villa’s box. That’s not an ambush. That’s a siege.

Villa’s response came from a newcomer. Brazilian forward Alysson, on for his first meaningful Premier League minutes, glanced in John McGinn’s cross to level against the run of play. It was his first goal in English football, a moment that should have lit the fuse for the old Villa Park surge.

It never arrived.

Emery shuffled his pack, but the changes only deepened the sense of disarray. Nicolas Jackson, booked early and losing his discipline, was withdrawn at half-time. On came Tammy Abraham, a striker the manager had been ready to move on in the summer. Alysson followed, then big-money signings Johan Manzambi and Ibrahim Mbaye – a combined £98m of attacking promise – entered from the bench. None of them shifted the rhythm of the game.

Alejandro Garnacho, on loan from Chelsea, watched it all from the sidelines again. Another unused substitute. Another indication Emery does not yet trust him.

At the other end, Forest grew bolder. Villa’s only real threat in open play was a chaotic goalmouth scramble that somehow stayed out as Victor Lindelof was denied in turn by Matz Sels, Murillo and the post. It summed up the afternoon: frantic, hopeful, imprecise.

Injuries, anger and a late twist

The day went from bad to worse for Villa’s defence. Pau Torres was forced off in the first half, thinning an already stretched backline. Taylor Harwood-Bellis, the £30m summer signing, was left out of the squad entirely, a decision that will now be heavily scrutinised with a trip to Coventry in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday and Tottenham away to follow.

Then came the moment that truly unbalanced Villa. Full-back Ian Maatsen suffered an ankle injury after a challenge from James McAtee. Emery had already used all five substitutes. Villa were down to 10 men.

The manager was furious with the decision not to send off McAtee, insisting the incident should have been upgraded to red after a VAR review.

“After watching it on TV, I think the VAR should call the referee because it's a clear tackle behind the player and, for me, it should be a red card,” Emery said. “Of course, they deserved it (the win), but the decision of the referee should be different.”

He pointed to recent decisions against his side, referencing Joao Gomes’ two yellow cards at Brighton, but refused to lean on officiating as a shield.

“It's not an excuse how we play the second half,” he added. “We played so so poor, and this is our work and our responsibility or my responsibility.”

The injury to Maatsen, which Villa fear could keep him out for a significant period, will accelerate Matteo Ruggeri’s introduction. The new signing may now be thrust into a role Emery would rather have eased him into.

With Villa down to 10 and clinging on, the pressure finally told. Two minutes from time, Igor Jesus darted in front of Aaron Wan-Bissaka and struck the decisive blow. Forest’s bench exploded. Villa Park fell silent.

Jesus’ late winner sealed Forest’s first victory at this ground in 30 years and left Emery, usually the man with the solutions, staring into the middle distance, searching for fresh ones.

Villa Park loses its fear factor

The numbers around Villa’s home form tell a stark story.

For 12 months, they didn’t lose a league game here. Then Crystal Palace, Glasner’s former club, arrived last August and won 3-0. Since that night, the aura has seeped away.

Glasner returned with Forest and won again, 2-1 in the Carabao Cup. Last season, Villa still found ways to rescue points late on – late drama against Leeds, big wins over Brighton and Sunderland, and those unforgettable European nights as they crushed Forest in the Europa League semi-final and put four past Liverpool to clinch Champions League qualification.

But the cracks were there. Four defeats in their final 15 home league games. A 3-1 FA Cup exit to Newcastle that exposed the vulnerabilities. This season, the pattern has hardened: a 1-0 loss to champions Arsenal on opening day, now this defeat to Forest.

There are reasons, of course. A summer rebuild after key departures. A squad still learning each other’s movements. The North Stand redevelopment that has reduced capacity and left one end of the ground without fans, sapping some of the atmosphere that once smothered visiting teams.

Even so, the drop-off is now impossible to ignore.

Emery searching for shape and answers

The most worrying element for Emery is not just the results, but the loss of control. Villa have built their recent success on structure, clarity and conviction. Against Forest, that framework crumbled in the second half.

“I don't know why,” Emery admitted. “I want to see the match again and to understand why we lost our shape.”

It was an unusually stark confession from a coach renowned for his meticulous preparation. For so long, he has been the man who tweaks, adjusts and fixes. Now he is the one looking for explanations.

Next comes Coventry in the Carabao Cup, a tie that suddenly carries more weight than a routine early-season cup game should. Harwood-Bellis will expect – and likely demand – his chance at the CBS Arena. After that, Tottenham away, and a test of character on a different scale.

Last season, Villa turned a slow start into a story of resilience and triumph. This time, with the home fortress crumbling and the table already tightening, the question is sharper.

How many more blows can they absorb before this stops being a blip and becomes the new reality?