Nottingham Forest finally captured their first victory of the Premier League season in thrilling fashion, edging out Aston Villa 2-1 at a rocking Villa Park on Friday afternoon.
Under the tactical guidance of Oliver Glasner, the Reds had to weather an early defensive storm before rising to the occasion in the West Midlands. Forced into a late reshuffle due to slight hamstring tightness sidelining defensive rocks Nikola Milenkovic and Jair Cunha, Forest rolled out a makeshift backline featuring summer signing Ousmane Diomande and Daniel Munoz making their first Premier League starts, with Ola Aina shifting into an unorthodox right-sided center-back role.
A Shaky Start Give Way to Second-Half Fireworks
The experimental defense was tested immediately. Victor Lindelof twice went close to breaking the deadlock during a frantic spell of penalty-box pinball, with goalkeeper Matz Sels, Murillo, and the goalframe combining to keep the hosts at bay.
Once Forest settled into a rhythm, however, they began posing questions of their own. James McAtee and Diomande both threatened from set-pieces, while Morgan Gibbs-White saw a driven effort blocked. Sels was called into action once more right before the interval to deny Ross Barkley from distance, before Neco Williams squandered a golden chance in added time, firing wide when given ample time and space inside the box.
That missed opportunity was quickly forgotten shortly after the restart. Just 45 seconds into the second half, £45 million man Liam Delap seized control of the ball outside the area and unleashed an unstoppable rocket into the back of the net to open his Premier League account for the club and net his first competitive goal since January.
Forest capitalized on their momentum, pushing relentlessly for a second. Dan Ndoye squandered a flurry of chances, and Delap saw a header hit the side-netting before having a subsequent strike chalked off by the linesman for offside on the 65-minute mark.
Villa made the visitors pay moments later when Alysson rose highest to head home an equalizer in the 74th minute, threatening to deflate Forest’s hard work.
Igor Jesus Seals the Points Off the Bench
Rather than folding, Glasner’s side dug deep. As the match hung in the balance, substitute Igor Jesus provided the ultimate spark just moments after replacing Ndoye. Showing brilliant composure in the closing minutes, the Brazilian forward latched onto a pinpoint delivery from Morgan Gibbs-White and slotted home a composed late winner to snatch all three points.
While Sels stood tall when called upon, it was the standout midfield displays of Xaver Schlager and James McAtee that truly anchored Forest’s performance. McAtee, in particular, oozed confidence and composure, earning glowing praise as a player completely reborn this season.
With Ibrahim Sangare and Chris Wood introduced late to shut down the game, Forest successfully closed out the contest to secure a massive away victory. The result not only gets the Reds’ campaign truly up and running but also proves that Glasner’s side has the resilience and attacking firepower to compete with the league’s best.
