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On a typically nervy afternoon on the Trent, one of the biggest cheers of the afternoon arrived in the seconds after the final whistle, news over the speakers that Tottenham were still trailing at Sunderland. For Nottingham Forest, a creditable draw against Aston Villa takes them another precious point towards Premier League safety, Neco Williams’s low strike cancelling out Murillo’s own goal; confirmation that Forest are now three clear of the relegation zone was greeted as warmly as one would expect.
These teams could meet again at the end of the month in a Europa League semi-final but, for now, there are more pressing priorities. For the fourth successive season Villa left the City Ground without the full bounty and they wasted a series of chances to earn victory, Morgan Rogers skying a routine rebound from close range and Ollie Watkins also sent a shot sailing over the bar. At the other end, Marco Bizot ably deputised for Emiliano Martínez after Villa’s first-choice goalkeeper pulled out in the warm up for the third time this season, this time complaining of calf pain.
Rogers had a particularly peculiar game. It was his low cutback from the byline that cannoned in off Murillo, the Brazilian’s desire to make amends leaving him tangled in the Forest net, and later in the first half the England midfielder skimmed the crossbar after latching on to John McGinn’s cute reverse pass. But, as Unai Emery said afterwards, while Rogers has evolved into a key player for club and country, he is not flawless and remains enigmatic. Emery crashed to his knees and covered his face when Rogers spooned over from a few yards out and soon after Rogers kicked a post in frustration after his loose pass allowed Forest to canter upfield and win a corner.
So, was this a good or bad result for Forest? “I’m happy with one point because one point is better than nothing,” a phlegmatic Vítor Pereira said, citing the pain of defeat against Liverpool in February, when Forest overwhelmed the champions but departed the field empty-handed. “I will never forget that game. If we got one point from that game, it would be very important for us now. This is a moment in the season where it is very difficult to win games, even for the teams at the top. We saw what happened with Arsenal [losing to Bournemouth]. Every team has something to fight for.”
Forest, as they have most of the season here, struggled to work the opposition goalkeeper and Pereira turned to Chris Wood with almost half an hour to run, the 34-year-old making his first league appearance since October after knee surgery. It was all the more galling given Villa were without Martínez. Bizot, last seen walking down the tunnel at Villa Park after being sent off in their FA Cup defeat to Newcastle, made a couple of smart stops, the most important to thwart Morgan Gibbs-White.
It said everything that Williams appeared Forest’s most dangerous attacking threat, equalising after hammering an unerring first-time right-foot shot inside Bizot’s near post and then seeing a similar effort blocked midway through the second half. Both teams returned from their Europa League exertions on Friday and unsurprisingly Villa, who made nine changes from the victory in Bologna, finished the stronger. “I am so proud of the players,” Emery said. “Of course, we had three or four chances to score, and we conceded the momentum a few times. One point is not enough, but this is the way we want to play in the next weeks in the Premier League and Europa League.” Villa fashioned big moments. After the Forest goalkeeper Matz Sels parried Ross Barkley’s low shot, Rogers fluffed his lines a few yards from goal, presumably put off by a couple of desperate attempts to block by those in Forest red. Sels earlier saved a deflected Watkins effort with his left leg and then from McGinn, clambering low to his right when the Villa captain sent a curled effort towards the bottom corner.
Emery praised Watkins’s resilience after the striker, again omitted from the latest England squad by Thomas Tuchel, scored twice on Thursday but was guilty of missing a huge opportunity with 11 minutes of regular time to play here. Emiliano Buendía, a substitute after starting in midweek, freed Watkins on goal but he lashed his shot clean over the bar. The chances kept coming. Youri Tielemans uncharacteristically dawdled after Watkins squared and late on Sels repelled a speculative Matty Cash effort.
