Aston Villa's difficult start to the Premier League season continued with a 2-1 home defeat to Nottingham Forest. The loss leaves Unai Emery's side 19th in the table with only one point from their first four games, already 11 points behind leaders Arsenal.
Liam Delap, Forest's record £45 million signing from Chelsea, opened the scoring from 22 yards after dispossessing Murillo. Villa equalised through Alysson Edward Franco da Rocha, who finished from a John McGinn pass in the 74th minute. But substitute Igor Jesus won it for the visitors late on, converting a cross from captain Morgan Gibbs-White.
Emery's side struggle for identity
The result marked Forest's first win at Villa Park since 1994, when Stuart Pearce and Steve Stone scored in a 2-0 victory. For Villa, it was a third loss in four league matches this season, having conceded seven goals while scoring just one.
Oliver Glasner, the Forest manager, said his team's performance showed their growing identity. "This is what the team wants to be and the players want to be," Glasner told reporters. "We have told them to be who they are and to show it."
Villa's Nicolas Jackson was substituted at half-time after being effectively marked by Ousmane Diomande, who made his first start following a £34 million move. The home side were also without several key players, including Pau Torres, Leon Goretzka and Matty Cash, all listed on the club's injuries page.
Forest's midfield control
Forest controlled the midfield through James McAtee in a deeper role and Xaver Schlager, who made six tackles. Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Schlager each made three interceptions. Murillo played through knee pain, while Dan Ndoye finished the match with a bloody nose.
Gibbs-White's assist extended his remarkable run to scoring or assisting in eight consecutive Premier League away games, a streak only bettered by Erling Haaland's nine last season. The victory was Glasner's eighth unbeaten match against Emery in the top flight.
Looking ahead to Tottenham
Villa must now regroup quickly for a trip to face Tottenham on Saturday. Tottenham sit 17th, just two places above Villa, in what is shaping up as a key early-season fixture. The full schedule is available on the club's fixtures list.
The last meeting between the sides in January ended in a 2-1 away win for Villa. Emery will hope for a similar result to kickstart a campaign that has begun with defeats to Arsenal, Brighton and now Forest, alongside a draw with Hull City. The team's recent form reads one win, one draw and three losses from their last five matches across all competitions.
