Aston Villa’s 2-0 loss against Nottingham Forest on Sunday prevented them from finishing in the top three.
Villa’s six-game winning streak came to an end in the loss, despite goals from Ola Aina and Orel Mangala. Following Liverpool’s draw against Luton Town and Arsenal’s loss to Newcastle, Unai Emery’s team had a chance to move up to third place.
Aston Villa’s 2-0 loss against Nottingham Forest on Sunday prevented them from finishing in the top three.
Villa’s six-game winning streak came to an end in the loss, despite goals from Ola Aina and Orel Mangala. Following Liverpool’s draw against Luton Town and Arsenal’s loss to Newcastle, Unai Emery’s team had a chance to move up to third place.
Additionally, how are the gamers adhering to our requests? After a year, I am incredibly proud of them, but I want more. In order for us to have a genuine chance of finishing among the top seven teams, today was crucial. Although we missed the chance, I still have faith in the players.
“We need to be firm, but I know they can handle it. We can’t give up as many opportunities as we did today—they only managed two goals. We had opportunities, and we typically score goals at home, but today we fell short. We lost in the end.”
BBC Sport, Michael Emons
Nottingham Forest defeated Aston Villa, who were playing well, at the City Ground to record their first victory in seven games.
With the three points, Villa would have finished third in the Premier League; however, they suffered their first league defeat since losing 3-0 to Liverpool at Anfield on September 3. Nicolo Zanolo had a chance to tie the score at 1-0, but Forest’s rookie goalie Odysseus Vlachodimos parried his shot. Vlachodimos then made a stop against Ollie Watkins.
Mangala gave Martinez, who took home the Yashin Trophy for best goalkeeper at last Monday’s Ballon d’Or honors, a strong hand in the effort, but the Argentine was unable to stop the ball from crossing the line. For Villa, this was a rare off day as they suffered their first loss in all competitions.
However, there’s no denying that the team is in a far stronger position now than they were when Unai Emery took over for the fired Steven Gerrard a year ago. On November 6, 2022, Emery’s first game in charge resulted in a 3-1 victory over Manchester United.
After turning what seemed to be a relegation struggle into seventh place in the table and European qualification for the first time in thirteen years, the former Arsenal manager turned their season around.
Daily Mail, Tom Collomosse
On Monday, the world’s best goalie, on Sunday, a match-winning howler. The greatest athletes often return to Earth via elite sports, and Emi Martinez is all too familiar with that feeling following Aston Villa’s shocking loss at Nottingham Forest.
The Argentina star earned the Yashin Trophy at the Ballon d’Or event last week after his magnificent displays helped his side win last year’s World Cup. Martinez will cherish those weeks in Qatar above all others, but he will wish to forget his afternoon at the City Ground as soon as possible.
With Villa losing 1-0, Martinez flew to his left to reach Orel Mangala’s 25-yard effort early in the second half but failed to make a solid enough connection, enabling the ball to spin back onto the bar and creep over the line.
Martinez’s mistake left Villa with too much to accomplish as Forest had already taken the lead through a goal from Ola Aina in the fifth minute. Forest won for the first time since their triumph against Chelsea on September 2; it was only their third league loss of the season.
The outcome stops Villa’s ascent up the table because Forest’s center backs Moussa Niakhate and Murillo played excellent shutout football, keeping out Ollie Watkins and Moussa Diaby. Cooper argued that Villa could have at least drawn even if they had been more composed in front of goal in the second half.
The Telegraph, John Percy
This season, Aston Villa games have included numerous tactical seminars; however, this time, the instructor was the manager standing next to Unai Emery in the technical area.
Since Nottingham Forest’s return to the top level, Steve Cooper has earned a number of memorable wins at the City Ground. His players impressively carried out the game plan, often exposing Emery’s high defensive line.
Maybe Cooper’s setup provided a template for Villa, who have dominated so many teams this season under their outstanding Basque coach, in terms of how to cause them harm. Villa may have won 12 straight league home games, but they are still unable to find the right formula away from home to realize their dream of qualifying for the Champions League.
After defeats at Newcastle and Liverpool, this was another peculiar afternoon when they appeared vulnerable and lacking a spark. Their determination to play a high line away from home can be a gamble against teams with pace on the counter-attack, and so it proved here.
Villa had smashed 19 goals in their previous six games, but this was a rare blank, with the usually rampant double act of England forward Ollie Watkins and record signing Moussa Diaby unusually quiet. Emiliano Martínez, a World Cup and Golden Glove winner with Argentina, will also not want to reflect on his mistake which led to Forest’s second goal from Orel Mangala.
Sky Sports, Declan Olley
Emiliano Martinez made a mistake in Nottingham Forest’s 2-0 home victory over Aston Villa, snapping a six-game losing streak. That same week, Martinez was awarded the finest goalkeeper in the world.
When Forest doubled their lead in the second half, the Argentine goalkeeper, who had just won the Yashin trophy at Monday’s Ballon d’Or ceremony, made a mistake. Two minutes after the break, Martinez mishandled Orel Mangala’s swerving long-range drive into his own net. Forest had taken the lead in the fifth minute thanks to a wonderful low strike from Ola Aina outside the box.
Villa failed to properly test Martinez’s opposite number Odysseas Vlachodimos on his Forest debut as Unai Emery’s side put in a frustrating display in the East Midlands to spoil his one-year anniversary in charge.
Fifth-placed Villa lost, missing the opportunity to move up to third and snapping a six-game winning streak in the Premier League. With lots of possession, Villa came back and eventually had their first chance on goal in the 36th minute when Vlachodimos deflected Nicolo Zaniolo’s weak attempt.
Zaniolo’s only significant contribution to the match ended then, as Emery substituted Leon Bailey for the Italy international at halftime. However, Martinez’s error allowed Forest to increase their lead two minutes into the second half, which dealt a blow to the tactical shift.
