Aston Villa's Premier League troubles deepened with a late 2-1 home defeat to Nottingham Forest on Saturday. The loss leaves Unai Emery's side 19th in the table with a solitary point from their opening four matches.
Liam Delap, a summer signing from Chelsea, put Forest ahead shortly after halftime with his first goal for the club. Villa responded in the 74th minute when Alysson Edward headed home from a John McGinn delivery following a short-corner routine. The hosts' hopes of a point were dashed two minutes from time as Igor Jesus converted Morgan Gibbs-White's flick to snatch victory for Oliver Glasner's side.
The result ended Forest's long wait for a win at Villa Park, which dated back to October 1994. It also secured their first league victory of the season. For Villa, the defeat was compounded by injuries to key defenders Pau Torres and Ian Maatsen, the latter's late exit forcing the team to finish with ten men.
This domestic disappointment comes just days after a morale-boosting 3-2 Champions League victory away at Club Brugge, where McGinn, Emiliano Buendía and Nicolas Jackson all found the net. Manager Unai Emery acknowledged the growing gap between European and league form. "The Champions League may continue to provide memorable nights, yet Premier League results will ultimately determine whether Villa can match their recent progress," he said.
Villa's league record now stands at one draw and three defeats, having scored just once while conceding seven. They are 11 points behind leaders Arsenal. The club's current injuries list includes Amadou Onana, Brian Madjo, Leon Goretzka and Matty Cash alongside the newly sidelined Torres.
Attention now turns to a key away fixture against Tottenham on September 19th. Spurs sit 17th, just two places above Villa, in what is shaping up as an early-season six-pointer.
This story first appeared at sports.yahoo.com
