Nottingham Forest 2-1 Aston Villa
Nottingham Forest’s fairytale season continued after a remarkable comeback victory over Aston Villa at the City Ground lifted Nuno Espírito Santo’s side to 4th place in the Premier League.
Forest came from behind following Jhon Durán’s 63rd-minute opener to level with three minutes remaining and clinch a winner deep into stoppage time. The victory was Forest’s 6th in their last 9 matches in the league, maintaining a campaign in which they have stunned pundits with their performance in England’s top flight.
Goals from Nikola Milenković (87’), who scored in last weekend’s victory at Manchester United, and Anthony Elanga (93’) gave Forest the points and registering their best start to a Premier League season in 30 years. Indeed, Forest are now above champions Manchester City in the standings, albeit having played one game more ahead of the Manchester derby on Sunday.
“The ending was amazing, the belief, the desire,” Nuno told the BBC after the match. “But if you ask me about the game: first half – very equal, both teams very organises, there was no flow, set pieces we create problems, they create problems. Then we concede and we say ‘Wow, against Villa it’s going to be tough’ but the reaction of the players was amazing. Entertaining for sure, but stressful also.”
Asked how he remains so calm on the touchline, Nuno replied: “I’m not calm, I’m nervous as hell! I try to be focused on the game, it’s the best help I can give the team. Try to ignore what’s going on outside and focus on the team – that’s the best help I can give the boys. We're making lots of people happy? So let's enjoy it, let's enjoy our journey together."
90+3'. pic.twitter.com/wvPPOTFEZh
— Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) December 14, 2024
As with every team in England, Forest will now prepare for the traditional busy festive schedule, in which they will play three matches in eight days. First up is a trip to Brentford (21 Dec) followed by a home match with Tottenham Hotspur on Boxing Day, then another away fixture at Everton on 29th December to close the year.
By @SeanGillen9
