Igor Jesus ends Forest winless run for Villa Park victory

Nottingham Forest picked up their first win under Oliver Glasner with a victory at Villa Park over a winless Aston Villa in the Premier League. The decisive moment came late, when Igor Jesus scored his first league goal of the season to seal the result.

Late edge for Forest

The game was shaped by the moves around the goals. Liam Delap put Forest ahead with a powerful finish from around 25 yards, while Daniel Muñoz helped drive the slick sequence that ended with Jesus receiving a clever back-heel from Morgan Gibbs-White.

Emery owns the second half

Aston Villa’s problems worsened after injuries and tactical scrambling. With Ian Maatsen sidelined and the team reduced to 10 men, John McGinn operated as an emergency left-back in the closing stages, including stoppage time. Unai Emery, as reported by The Guardian, rejected excuses and squarely blamed his own team’s performance: “But it’s not an excuse for how we played the second half. We played so poorly and this is my responsibility.” He also argued that VAR should have intervened after a challenge on Maatsen.

Villa still searching

The Guardian notes Villa have now failed to win their opening four league matches for a second season in a row, continuing a difficult start. Forest, meanwhile, made the most of their chances despite defensive absences, and their coach kept a positive angle afterward: Glasner is unbeaten in eight meetings with Emery, with six wins and two draws, according to The Guardian. For Forest, this is a platform to build; for Villa, the priority is ending the league drought quickly.