Nottingham Forest Secures Landmark Win at Aston Villa

Igor Jesus struck at the death to give Nottingham Forest a landmark win at Aston Villa – their first league victory at Villa Park in 32 years – and deepen the unease around Unai Emery’s new-look side.

The substitute reacted quickest two minutes from time, stabbing home to seal Oliver Glasner’s first victory as Forest head coach and leave Villa still waiting for a Premier League win this season. The away end exploded; the home crowd could only watch a familiar story unfold.

Forest sharper, Villa searching

Forest had already sensed this was their night. Liam Delap, a £50m summer signing from Chelsea, had opened his Forest account with his first goal since January, a finish that carried the weight of a player desperate to reset his narrative.

Villa did respond. Alysson grabbed their first Premier League goal of the campaign to level, a rare moment of clarity in an otherwise muddled display. But that equaliser masked little. For long stretches, Forest controlled the tempo, the duels, and the territory.

Villa actually came closest early on. Victor Lindelof’s effort took a deflection off Murillo, forcing Sels into a fingertip save that pushed the ball on to the post. Murillo’s hurried clearance fell straight back to Lindelof, who instinctively fired again, only for Sels to block once more. It felt like a warning of what Villa could do.

It turned out to be an exception.

From there, Forest grew while Villa shrank. Emery, visibly frustrated, hauled off £65m record signing Nicolas Jackson at half-time, turning to Tammy Abraham – a striker he had been prepared to move on this summer. It was a telling change, a sign that this side is still far from settled.

Emery’s puzzle, Glasner’s edge

Emery has asked for patience as Villa adjust after a turbulent summer and a significant rebuild. Nights like this will stretch that patience. His team looked disjointed, the patterns unclear, the pressing half-hearted. For all the talk of tactical detail and method, the basics slipped away from them.

A 3-2 Champions League win at Club Brugge had hinted at lift-off. Instead, it feels more like an outlier. The work ahead remains substantial.

On the opposite bench, Glasner’s grip on this fixture tightened. Since the Austrian arrived in the Premier League with Crystal Palace in February 2024, Emery has yet to beat him. Glasner’s Palace dismantled Villa 3-0 at Villa Park at the start of last season. The scoreline was narrower this time, but the feeling was familiar: his side again looked better drilled, more assured, and more ruthless in key moments.

Forest’s performance underlined that point. After impressive draws against Liverpool and Tottenham, this win showed a team beginning to reflect their manager’s ideas: compact without the ball, aggressive in transition, and confident enough to keep pushing even after being pegged back.

So when the game seemed to be drifting towards a draw, Forest didn’t settle. The pressure finally told, and Jesus delivered.

For Villa, the questions grow louder. For Forest and Glasner, this felt like the night their season truly started.