EPL: Villa beat Forest to leapfrog Man City into second spot

EPL: Villa beat Forest to leapfrog Man City into second spot

Aston Villa recovered from their midweek defeat to Arsenal with a commanding 3–1 victory over Nottingham Forest at their home fortress on Saturday, leapfrogging Manchester City into second place in the Premier League.

Ollie Watkins struck on the stroke of half-time to give Unai Emery’s side a deserved lead, before John McGinn netted twice in the second half, either side of a Morgan Gibbs-White goal for the visitors.

Villa’s 11-game winning streak in all competitions had come to a shuddering halt with a 4–1 loss at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday, raising questions about their ability to sustain a title challenge.

However, their formidable home form remains intact, with Villa now winning 11 consecutive matches at Villa Park since a 3–0 defeat to Crystal Palace in August.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Emery revealed that the players and coaching staff held a meeting following the Arsenal loss to regroup and refocus.

“I am so happy,” Emery said. “We had to recover our energy and our confidence. Here, at Villa Park, the energy we create was really important.

“Forest are competitive. After the Arsenal match, we met, the players and staff, to talk about how we are doing this season, how we are feeling, and how we need to keep the same consistency as before. We needed to stay together and strong.”

Head of Sports at BusinessDay Media, a seasoned Digital Content Producer, and FIFA/CAF Accredited Journalist with over a decade of sports reporting.Has a deep understanding of the Nigerian and global sports landscape and skills in delivering comprehensive and insightful sports content.

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