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By HARRY BAMFORTH and TOM COLLOMOSSE AT VILLA PARK Published: 02: 05 AEST, 6 April 2025 | Updated: 05: 02 AEST, 6 April 2025 22 View comments Relive Mail Sport's live blog for the latest score, team news and updates as Aston Villa host Nottingham Forest in the Premier League at Villa Park.   Right guys, it's that time in the evening. I know, I know, you don't want me to leave. I don't really want to go either, but you know it just has to be done. We ended on a high note with arguably the game of the weekend so far. Well, it's a close call with the manic M23 derby from earlier. It didn't seem like there was going to be much drama when Morgan Rogers and Donyell Malen netted just two minutes apart to send Aston Villa sailing into the sunset. The hosts were battering Nottingham Forest and at half-time, it seemed like it was going to be a comfortable evening for Unai Emery's men. Well, that wasn't the case. Jotas Silva came on for Forest at the break and completely changed the game. He brought the chaos, and my word, was it brilliant to watch. The substitute pulled a goal back, and then ensued an end-to-end classic that I will remember for a very long time. Both sides were having efforts galore, with Forest even hitting the bar, but in the end, Villa held on for a huge three points. The Villans are now just six points off of Forest in the battle for the top five spots, and the race for the Champions League is really heating up. Anyway, I am going to dash now. Thank you for being such good company. I will see you soon. Nuno Espirito Santo, Nottingham Forest manager, speaking to Sky Sports: If I were a Nottingham Forest, I wouldn't be too disheartened after that. Yes, obviously, it's not great to lose when you are in the race for Champions League football, but they have built themselves a more than decent buffer. At worst, they will only be two points clear of Chelsea and three of Manchester City by the end of the weekend. But at best, it could be five points. They also showed great character to react to that terrible first-half performance with a brilliant second-half one. I mean, they were the woodwork's width away from completing the comeback. So yeah, Nuno Espirito Santo will just move on from Villa Park swiftly and have his sight on next week's clash with Everton. They are still in the box seat. I have just clocked that I never showed you guys the Morgan Rogers opener - how silly of me. But don't worry, you can see it now. .. It's a lovely ball over the top form Youri Tielemans, but Rogers still has a lot of work to do. But boy, does he do that work well. It's a great touch, dribble, and then finish from the Englishman. Enjoy, Villa fans. Morgan Rogers, Aston Villa goalscorer, speaking to Sky Sports:

How brilliant is Morgan Rogers, eh? Honestly, he is one of my favourite players in English football, and I am not just saying that. The way he can just waltz through teams at will with his dancing feet, paired with his pace and power. He is a cocktail of class. Rogers has become a game-changer for Aston Villa; he really has. Seven of his eight Premier League goals this season have either put Aston Villa in the lead or drawn them level. He just pops up when they need him to. The youngster has also had a hand in 10 goals in his last 14 appearances for Aston Villa in all competitions. Meanwhile, only Ollie Watkins has had a hand in more goals for the club overall this season than Rogers, who has 22. The bloke is just on fire! That was a huge win for Aston Villa, it really was. To make eight changes against a Nottingham Forest side that are flying and still come out with three points is not easily done. You could tell a lot of those players had their minds on Wednesday's clash with PSG in that second half; they were miles off it. But these are the types of games where you just have to get the job done. When you are under the coach, you have to find a way to survive. Well, that's what Aston Villa did; they survived. They are now heading to Paris full of confidence after seven wins in a row. Also, that's a massive win for their fight to secure Champions League football via the Premier League. They are hitting their purple patch at the right time. ASTON VILLA SURVIVE! The hosts just about hold on despite a second-half siege from Nottingham Forest to make it seven wins in a row. It means Villa are now just one point away from fourth-placed Chelsea, although the Blues have a game in hand. It's a result that dents Nottingham Forest's Champions League hopes, but they are still very well-placed to get the job done. What a second half that was, and what a game in general. Chaotic. Oh, Marcus Rashford. .. The substitute nearly kills Nottingham Forest off as he is sent clean through. The striker chips Matz Sels, and the ball seems to move in slow motion, but somehow, Sels gets back to beat the ball away. This is one hell of an ending to the match, and there is still time left. Oh. My. Word. Murillo nearly scores one of the goals of the season from 30 yards out. What a strike. The Nottingham Forest defender just decides to have a crack from distance because, why not? He really gets hold of it and the ball crashes off of the top of the bar. Nottingham Forest have four minutes to try and find an equaliser. Now this is what you call squaky bum time. Now, that would have been a crazy goal. Marcus Rashford nearly scores directly from a corner at the near post, but Matz Sels beats it away. That's the third player to go for goal from a corner today. There's an epidemic. .. and I love it. Now it's Nottingham Forest's turn to do all the defending. The best form of defence is attack for Aston Villa, and all of a sudden, Morgan Rogers is in. He turns in the box and lets fly, but Willy Boly does brilliantly to deflect the ball over the bar. Huge block! What a save that is from Emi Martinez! Jota Silva nods the ball toward the bottom corner and Martinez reacts brilliantly to push the ball wide at full-stretch. The Nottingham Forest man is miles offside, but the Argentine didn't know that as he got his head to the ball. He is then booked for time-wasting, though. .. silly boy. Martinez, that is. My word, how are Nottingham Forest not level. I honestly can't believe how many chances the visitors are missing - this is getting a little silly. Neco Williams breaks free down the right-hand side of the area and flashes a stinging drive just past the far post. He then lies on the grass with his face nestled into the floor. .. Morgan Rogers should be renamed Happy Feet. Honestly, the way he can dance around players so easily is actually quite scary. He has such quick feet, and he displays stghem to somehow work some space down the right. Rogers then pulls the ball back for Boubacar Kamara, who can see his name in lights. But the midfielder blasts the ball high into the Holte End. Nottingham Forest are getting closer. .. Substitute Sosa whips in a teasing ball and you can see Morgan Gibbs-White charging in to try and meet it. Meet it he does, but the midfielder sends his header wide of the post. Will they ever find this leveller? Now it's time for some changes - from both sides. John Mc Ginn gets a hero's welcome as the Villa captain comes on to replace Marco Asensio. No goal for the Spaniard today; it wasn't his finest game. Meanwhile, Sosa and Willy Boly are on for Nottingham Forest as they hunt an equaliser. Nicolas Dominguez and Morato make way. My brain must look a little like scrambled egg right now, it is all over the place. I was told by somebody that Jota Silva had been booked previously, but that turned out to be wrong. Well, he has been booked now. It was going to happen eventually. I have just noticed Marcus Rashford is wearing gloves. That can't be real. That is just criminal from the Man United loanee. Anyway, as I was typing that Youri Tielemans forces Matz Sels into a low stop form distance. There really is no rest for the wicked. My word, I can't keep up. Now it's Aston Villa's turn to fly forward, and Matz Sels denies Marco Aensio from close range. This game is chaotic; it's become an end-to-end affair, and it's actually hard to predict what is going to happen next. I'm loving it, I can't lie. Jota Silva has completely changed this game; it's nuts. He is causing Aston Villa all sorts of problems, they simply can't cope with the substitute. This time he comes with inches of prodding a low-drilled effort into the bottom corner. The Aston Villa fans respond with a huge roar, they can sense the worst. That is a massive, massive save from Matz Sels! The Nottingham Forest keeper bails out Murillo after Morgan Rogers skips around the centre-back, and somehow keeps the Villa forward out. The goalscorer races away after beating Murillo, and you just expect him to score, but Sels is equal to the task. What a match this is now! Jota Silva has to be really careful here. I just realised I forgot to tell you that he had been booked for a silly challenge earlier. And, well, Jota then tries to barge into Emi Martinez twice, and it starts a bit of a melee. He is lucky he doesn't get a second yellow there. It really is silly behavior from the forward. It's box office stuff too, though. .. it's getting spicy. Unai Emery is going absolutely bonkers down on that touchline; he is not a happy bunny. The Spaniard can sense things going wrong here, so turns to the bench and makes a triple substitution. Ollie Watkins is the first to be hooked, and he really hasn't had a good day at the office. Marcus Rashford replaces him, while Jacob Ramsey and Boubacar Kamara are on for Donyell Malen and Amadou Onana. Will the changes help Villa calm things down? My word, Nottingham Forest should be level. They are all over Aston Villa, and Elliot Anderson slices a brilliant chance just wide of the post. Forest smell blood here, and Villa Park has become overcome with nerves. You can just sense an equaliser coming here. .. Nottingham Forest are back in it! The visitors have been hammering at the door in this second half, and it's their super sub who smashes through it. Jota Silva pinches the ball off of his own team-mate Elliot Anderson in the box, which seems like the wrong move, and then he lets fly. It proves to be the right move as his effort takes a deflection and nestles in the bottom right-hand corner. We have a game on our hands now. I genuinely find it mind-boggling that a professional footballer doesn't know how the rules of a throw-in. Jota Silva has just done a terrible foul throw and rightfully been penalised for it. Another big chance goes begging for Nottingham Forest; they are really ramping up the pressure now. This time, it's Callum Hudson-Odoi who has an opening, but he bends the ball wide of the post. Will Forest rue these misses? I think they will. Neco Williams, you simply have to score that! The Nottingham Forest full-back has his head in his hands, and he misses a huge chance to pull a goal back for Nottingham Forest. The Aston Villa fans cheer ironically as they think Morgan Gibbs-White clears the ball out of play. But they are nearly made to look silly as Callum Hudson-Odoi gets on the end of it and pulls the ball back to Williams. You just think he will bend the ball home, but he blasts it wide. Once one yellow comes, they arrive like London buses. This time it's Marco Asensio's turn to pick up a booking in almost identical fashion to Morato. Neco Williams bursts past the Spaniard, so he just sticks a leg out and sends him flying. Morato is having a bit of a stinker here. .. The defender was at fault for the opening goal and now he is in the book. Donyell Malen absolutely skins Morato down the left and the defender just wipes him out. As easy a yellow card decision as you will get. No complaints. Erm. .. what was that? Nottingham Forest have a free-kick 40 yards out and you expect Murillo - who is surprisingly taking it - to clip the ball into the mixer. But no, he plays a short pass to Neco Williams who decides to shoot from miles out for some reason. It's fair to say, the effort wasn't good. No surprises here, Nottingham Forest are making a change. Jota Silva has come on for this second half, but you are never going to guess who is making way. It's Anthony Elanga. I know; I can't believe it either. It must be an injury. Meanwhile, Ezri Konsa is on for Andres Garcia for Aston Villa, and we are back underway. Jamie Redknapp, former Liverpool midfielder, on Sky Sports: Shall we take a look at the second of Aston Villa's goals? While Morgan Rogers' opener was good, the roar in celebration of this second was just brilliant. This came just 138 seconds after Rogers had found the back of the net. It was a truly crazy few minutes. A lovely move, but the defending was just terrible. .. So far, so good for Aston Villa. The names on the roster may have changed, but Villa are well on their way to a seventh successive victory. Two goals in two minutes stunned Nottingham Forest early days, and the visitors haven't really been able to respond. A brilliant first 45 from the hosts, and that's an understatement. Just one minute of stoppage time then. Nicolas Dominguez marks it by heading a cross straight into the gloves of Emi Martinez. Nottingham Forest really have perked up now. For the first time in this whole game, they have control of the ball and are pushing Aston Villa back. The problem is that they only have a couple of minutes until the whistle is blown. .. That's a little better from Nottingham Forest. They must have read this blog because they suddenly decide to move forward again. It doesn't come to much, mind. .. Ryan Yates decides to have a pop from distance, and his effort is far too easy for Emi Martinez to collect. That is why Axel Disasi is a defender. The Aston Villa man sends the ball toward the moon with an effort from miles out. You may need to get Space X or NASA to go and get that ball back. .. Nottingham Forest's flurry of chances feels like a distant memory now. The visitors can barely get a hold of the ball now, Aston Villa are just knocking about with authority. If Forest want to get back into this game, you feel they need a goal before the break. Does it look like it's coming? No. Oh, come onnnnn. Amadou Onana is Tom Daley reincarnate, he has just produced one of the most faultless dives I have ever seen. Better yet, he has somehow conned the referee. The midfielder is under pressure from Elliot Anderson just outside the Forets box, so he decides to take a leap. He wins the free-kick, but Marco Asensio's effort is collected comfortably by Matz Sels. I just can't believe Onana got away with that. Ooooh. .. Anthony Elanga is screaming for a penalty and I really do think he has a point here. Neco Williams clips a glorious ball over the top, and Elanga is on his bike. You just expect the net to ripple. But Axel Disasi then flies across and just shoves the Swedfe to the floor, without getting anywhere near the ball. I'm not sure how there wasn't more of an appeal from Elanga's team-mates there. I would have screamed. Disasi is a lucky lad there. Those two chances were just a warning to Aston Villa that this game is far from over. Nottingham Forest look very threatening when they get the ball in dangerous areas - I wouldn't be surprised if they scored soon. However, my word they are shocking at the back. It's not often I have said that this season, but Forest are just all over the place whenever Aston Villa press them. I thought that was in! Nottingham Forest have finally found their groove, and Aston Villa are suddenly giving the ball away every few minutes. They give the ball away at the back, and Callum Hudson-Odoi is straight onto them and makes his way into the area. He tries to fire the ball across Emi Martinez from a tight angle, and the ball flashes just wide of the mark. That was so, so close. Ohhh, that was nearly another magical goal from Anthony Elanga. He picks up the ball by the halfway line and gets on his bike just like he did on Tuesday. This time, though, he can only drive his effort past the post after bursting into the area. Had that gone in, we would have had a game on our hands. This game is exactly like Nottingham Forest's capitulation at Newcastle. As soon as they conceded the first, you just felt Aston Villa were going to get another. Forest are all over the place at the back; they look like they have never played together back there. Aston Villa are slicing through them at will. It's two in two minutes! Who saw this coming? Aston Villa are ripping Nottingham Forest to shreds, and Donyell Malen adds a second in double quick time. Ian Maatsen whips a low ball to the back stick, and Neco Williams loses sight of Malen. The winger just ghosts in and has a tap-in - Villa Park erupts. This change of formation really isn't working for Nottingham Forest, they look out of sorts. Aston Villa are all over them and are finding gaps at will. We really aren't used to seeing this. What a lovely goal that is! Morgan Rogers opens the scoring for Aston Villa, and it's just far too easy for the hosts. Youri Tielemans is given all the time in the world to clip the ball over the top for Rogers to run into, and he does the rest. The youngster drives into the box and just amsshes the ball low underneath Matz Sels in style. Eight changes - who cares? It's all Aston Villa here, they are swarming all over Nottingham Forest. They seem desperate to score early, and Youri Tielemans even has a crack from 25 yards out. The less said about this one, the better; it's a terrible effort. Picture your grandmother trying to shoot from that far out, and that's what that attempt looked like. Yeah, not great. .. unless your grandmother is a baller. Wait, has that really just happened? Marco Asensio has actually missed a chance, I can't believe what I am seeing. He never does that. Andres Garcia whips in a lovely ball into the area, which Asensio gets a flick on, but he proves that not everything he touches turns into goals. His flick isn't strong enough, and the ball flies comfortably past the post. Ooooh, that's a cheeky little move from Aston Villa. They work the ball well down the left, and Ian Maatsen drives into the box at the end of it. The wing-back then tries to hammer the ball in at the near post, but Matz Sels does well to beat it away. Positive signs for the home side. Phoar, that was nearly a very nervy moment for Villa. Tyrone Mings loses control of the ball just outside of his own box and very nearly gets it pinched off him by Callum Hudson-Odoi. Fortunately for him, the Forest forward is too eager and runs past the ball, and Villa survive. He would have been in. Nottingham Forest are doing what they do best here. They are just sitting back in the early stages and socking up that pressure they always do. As soon as there is a mistake, their speedsters will be on their bikes, and the counter will be on. Aston Villa have to be wary. This atmosphere is brilliant, it really is. The Aston Villa fans are in fine voice as the two teams have their final pre-match chats. Nottingham Forest's seems to take an age, but eventually, the visitors get the ball rolling. Let's hope we are treated to a belter. I always love covering games at Villa Park, mainly for the pre-match show. They always bring the entertainment, and there are currently flames bursting into the air as the two teams come out. There is a bit of Ozzy Osbourne being belted out, too, which never seizes to pump me up. Aston Villa have to hope it has the same desired effect on their players. Unfortunately, the track is ruined by the Premier League anthem, which is as terrible as ever. You know how much I hate it. The Nottingham Forest fans don't like it either, they boo the tune briefly, before techno bangers are belted out before kick-off. This has the feeling of a cracker! Right guys, we are almost there. The warm-ups have been wrapped up and currently, the manager are doing their final team talks. I always wonder what they will be saying in these moments. Probably something along the lines of 'don't let me down, go and win'. Maybe not quite that brutal, but you know what I mean. I'm excited for this one to get going; I can't lie. Unai Emery, Aston Villa head coach, speaking to Sky Sports: I have talked a lot about Anthony Elanga, and there is a reason for that - he is a baller. I haven't gone too in-depth, though, as it's quite hard to do when you need to post every few minutes. However, my brilliant colleague Tom Collomosse has done a deep dive into Elanga's rise to stardom at Nottingham Forest. If you want to learn more about the Swede, I couldn't recommend this article enough. It's a great read. Sign up to Mail+ today to join our more than 160, 000 subscribers and get access to the best football coverage from our world-class team of insiders Jamie Redknapp, former Liverpool midfielder, on Sky Sports: I simply can't wait to see Anthony Elanga in action again. The Swede is slowly but surely becoming one of my favourite players to watch in the Premier League. I'm not lying; I genuinely think this. I haven't been able to get his solo goal against Manchester United out of my head these past few days; it was utterly brilliant. Elanga is just so electric; he can take the game away from a team in a matter of moments with his pace panache in front of goal. His finishing has improved so much. It's going to be interesting to see how he does as the main man today. Gary Neville, former Man United defender, on Sky Sports: By Harry Bamforth We are British, so we have to talk about the weather, don't we? Just look at how stunning Villa Park looks in the glorious sunshine. There isn't a single cloud in the sky right now; it's picture-esque. I still can't believe just how lovely the past week and a half has been. We don't usually get treated to this amount of sunshine this early in the year. It's odd, but I love it. The sun will only just start to set when the final whistle is blown, so fans can enjoy the weather for most of the game. I love this time of year; I really do. By Harry Bamforth Marcos Asensiop is absolutely loving life at Aston Villa. I thought he was a brilliant sighing when he was brought in, but my word, he has exceeded everbody's expectations. he has nine goals in all competitions since joining the club and is arguably the most in-form forward in English football. You can try arguing with me on that one, but you will lose. The Spaniard has been a man reborn; he looks like he is finally enjoying his football again. He may only be on loan from PSG, but I wouldn't be surprised if Villa made it permanent. Across Aston Villa’s last three home games in all competitions, they’ve scored seven goals and six of them have been scored by Asensio. He netted a brace in each of their games against Chelsea, Cardiff, and Club Brugge. Can he add to his tally today? By Harry Bamforth Chris Sutton, It's All Kicking Off! co-host, on BBC Sport: By Harry Bamforth Jeez, time flies, doesn't it? It feels like just yesterday we were watching a young Neco Williams playing in the red of Liverpool. Well, now he is about to make his 100th appearance in the red of Nottingham Forest. I can't lie; I find this statistic quite mental. Williams has really blossomed under Nuno Espirito Santo this season; he is slowly becoming one of the best full-backs in the league. With Trent Alexander-Arnold looking more likely than ever to leave Liverpool, I bet many supporters wouldn't mind having Williams back at Anfield. But he is Forest through and through these days. By Harry Bamforth If I were Nottingham Forest, I wouldn't get too confident today. Why is that, I hear you ask? Well, Aston Villa are nigh on impossible to beat at Villa Park this season - only one team has managed it. Villa are unbeaten in their last 14 home Premier League matches since losing to Arsenal in August, and they were actually quite unlucky that day as well. Unai Emery has already had a 17-game unbeaten run at Villa Park between March and December 2023 and could be the first Villa manager since Ron Saunders to have two separate runs of 15 unbeaten top-flight home games. So yeah, that's why. .. By Harry Bamforth My word, you have to feel for Nuno Espirito Santo a little. The Nottingham Forest boss is already having to deal with Chris Wood being injured - which is hard enough - but now Taiwo Awoniyi is out as well. It looks like either Anthony Elanga or Callum Hudson-Odoi will lead the line, but honestly, who knows? It's a major blow for Forest. .. How much will it affect them? By Harry Bamforth The answer is yes, and I won't have anybody telling me otherwise. To make eight changes in a massive Premier League game such as this one is pretty mental. The only plausible reason is that he is saving his starts to face PSG in the Champions League on Wednesday. I'm not sure about that logic, to be honest. If Villa lose today, their hopes of qualifying for the competition next season will take a massive dent. One that they might not recover from. It's a huge risk. What I will say, though, is it is impressive how strong Villa are still, considering they have brought in eight new faces. It shows the strength-in-depth that they have. By Harry Bamforth Look who is back! After missing their midweek win against Manchester United due to his partner giving birth (a fair excuse), Callum Hudson-Odoi is back in the Nottingham Forest line-up. He replaces Taiwo Awoniyi, while Nicolas Dominguez and Morato also come in for the visitors. Chris Wood remains absent. By Harry Bamforth Ohhhh, now this is interesting. Despite banging in the goals lately, Marcus Rashford has been dropped to the bench by Unai Emery. However, he is one eight changes. .. Emery must have one eye on their Champions League quarter-final with PSG as only Morgan Rogers, Youri Tielemans, and Emi Martinez survive from the side that beat Brighton. Big move from the Villa boss. By Harry Bamforth Aston Villa seemed to have found their mojo again. Like Austin Powers many moons ago, Unai Emery's side seemed to have lost it in the Premier League. They were just so inconsistent, and their hope of Champions League football were looking weary. Well, since being on the end of a battering at Crystal Palace in February, the Villans have gone on a six-match winning streak in all competitions. Two of those have come in the Premier League, with the most recent an extremely impressive 3-0 dismantling of Brighton. I mean, not many saw that one coming. Emery's Villa side are in their groove again, and I don't feel like many teams would want to face them right now. However, Nottingham Forest aren't just ANY side; they don't fear anybody. Their recent wins over both manchester United and City have them booming with confidence. Just writing all of that is getting me pumped up for this game. There is no scenario where this is not a cracker. Now that I've said that, watch this finish 0-0. .. By Harry Bamforth What a way to finish the day, eh? In years gone by, Aston Villa hosting Nottingham Forest would just be another game, one that doesn't mean too much. I mean, it has a classic Saturday 3pm kick-off written all over it, with both sides not really challenging for too much in recent history. Just seven years ago, this was a Championship fixture. Well, things have changed this season. .. Nottingham Forest currently sit third and are just eight games from doing the unthinkable and qualifying for the Champions League. Meanwhile, Aston Villa are just three points off of fourth place and are fighting to qualify for Europe's premier competition for the second season running. So yeah, there is a lot on the line tonight. Get yourselves strapped in, grab a drink of your choice, and enjoy what is going to be one hell of a ride. Let's pull the lever and get this one going. Get off your knees it doesn’ t make one bit o. ..

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