Aston Villa warmed up for their Champions League quarter-final first leg against Paris St Germain with a crunch 2-1 win over Nottingham Forest which boosts their chances of returning to Europe’s biggest stage next season.
Villa’s electric start saw Morgan Rogers and Donyell Malen both score in the opening 15 minutes to put them on the road to a seventh successive win in all competitions.
Three of those have been in the Premier League, which has lifted Unai Emery’s men to sixth in the table behind fifth-placed Manchester City on goal difference.
Although their position could change after the weekend’s games are all played, they have momentum as they set sights on a second successive year of Champions League qualification.
They could still do that by winning this year’s competition and now head to Paris for the club’s biggest game since their European Cup quarter-final loss to Juventus in 1982.
Forest have aspirations of their own to be in next season’s Champions League, though they were hurt by a defeat which could have at least been a draw.
Jota Silva got them back into it in the second half but they missed a host of opportunities to level, with Murillo hitting the crossbar in the 90th minute.
Even with Wednesday’s European jaunt to the French capital looming, it was a surprise when Emery made eight changes to the side which won 3-0 in Brighton on Wednesday.
Our starting XI to face Nottingham Forest 👊 #AVLNFO pic.twitter.com/Z1zFesocgt
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) April 5, 2025
But the decision was justified after Villa burst into a two-goal lead inside the opening 15 minutes.
Rogers opened the scoring when Youri Tielemans cleverly picked him out with a ball over the top and the England international did the rest, drilling through the legs of Matz Sels with a confident finish.
It was 2-0 two minutes and 18 seconds later when Ian Maatsen tied Ryan Yates up in knots and then fizzed a ball across goal which Malen slammed home from close range.
Forest, forced to change shape because of injuries to strikers Chris Wood and Taiwo Awoniyi, looked all at sea and we were in danger of sinking.
But they settled and showed their threat when Anthony Elanga looked to recreate his midweek winning goal against Manchester United by running in on goal from his own half, but this time fired just wide, with Callum Hudson-Odoi also rolling just off target soon after.
Nuno’s side started the second half with purpose and had two big chances within two minutes.
First, Neco Williams blazed off target from a great position before Hudson-Odoi sent another trademark effort just wide after cutting on to his right foot.
But they deservedly got back into the game in the 57th minute when half-time substitute Jota fired Williams’ cross into the bottom corner.
Forest were swarming and almost levelled immediately but Elliot Anderson was inches away when his effort whistled just past the post.
It was suddenly an end-to-end affair as Villa still retained a threat and Rogers should have restored the two-goal advantage in the 66th minute when he broke away at pace but saw his shot expertly blocked by Sels.
The Belgian goalkeeper was also called into action to deny Marco Asensio and Tielemans either side of Morgan Gibbs-White firing just wide at the other end.
Forest should have drawn level but Williams drilled wide again and Murillo clipped the crossbar with a 30-yard drive.
Mikel Arteta said he is ready to give his life to deliver a trophy for Arsenal after he apologised to the club’s fans for ending the season empty handed.Declan Rice’s second-half strike fired Arsenal to a 1-0 win over Newcastle and confirmed their place in the Champions League.However, the Gunners failed to launch a serious title challenge to Liverpool this season, and they are set to ...
Jamie Vardy reflected on an “amazing” and “rollercoaster” career with Leicester after scoring a landmark 200th goal in his 500th and final appearance for the Foxes.The 38-year-old former England striker reached the goal milestone in the 28th minute of Leicester’s home match with Ipswich when he latched on to James Justin’s through ball and expertly slipped it be...
Mikel Arteta apologised to Arsenal supporters for failing to deliver on his dream of ending the club’s two-decade wait for a Premier League title.Declan Rice’s second-half strike fired Arsenal to a 1-0 win over Newcastle and confirmed their place in the Champions League next season.However, the Gunners failed to launch a serious challenge to Liverpool this season and are set to finish ...
Interim boss Liam Fox welled up with tears as he reflected on his “pride” at leading Hearts to four straight wins before departing his boyhood club as they prepare to confirm Derek McInnes as their new manager on Monday.With McInnes set to bring his own backroom staff with him from Kilmarnock, it was announced on Saturday that Fox – a childhood Jambo who started both his playing ...
Chelsea boss Sonia Bompastor heaped praise on her side’s new celebrity investors after multi-millionaire entrepreneur Alexis Ohanian and his wife, tennis great Serena Williams, flew over for their FA Cup final triumph at Wembley.Sandy Baltimore scored a brace either side of a Catarina Macario goal as Chelsea sealed an unbeaten domestic treble with a 3-0 victory over Manchester United in fron...
Declan Rice’s second-half strike fired Arsenal to a 1-0 win against Newcastle at the Emirates and a place in next season’s Champions League.Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya kept his side in the match with a string of fine saves prior to the interval before Rice delivered from range with 55 minutes gone.Arsenal’s victory moves them five points clear of third-placed Newcastle with jus...
Marco Silva says Harry Wilson will “want to play Brentford every week” after he stung the Bees for a second time this season with the winner in Fulham’s 3-2 west London derby victory at the Gtech Community Stadium.Wilson, who had his contract extended until next summer this week and also scored a stoppage-time double in Fulham’s 2-1 win over Brentford in November, replicate...
Tony Docherty thanked Lyall Cameron for an outstanding career at Dundee after the midfielder signed off in style with a double in victory over St Johnstone.Cameron, who penned a pre-contract with Rangers in February, inspired a 2-0 win that eased the Dark Blues away from the relegation play-off place.The 22-year-old netted after 28 minutes and rounded off a man-of-the-match display with a stoppage...
Nuno Espirito Santo and his Nottingham Forest players dedicated the 2-1 win over West Ham which kept their Champions League hopes alive to stricken team-mate Taiwo Awoniyi.Striker Awoniyi is recovering from emergency abdominal surgery, having been placed in an induced coma, after colliding with a goalpost in last weekend’s Premier League home draw against Leicester.The 27-year-old revealed o...
Michael Wimmer says he is delighted with how Motherwell have ended the season after wrapping up their William Hill Premiership campaign with a 1-1 draw at Ross County.The Steelmen trailed to a Ronan Hale goal on the half-hour mark but improved drastically in the second half and dominated the game in Dingwall.That pressure eventually told, with Moses Ebiye heading in an equaliser with seven minutes...
- 1 Richie Wellens hails Leyton Orient’s ‘outstanding’ victory over Stockport
- 2 We will see – no Unai Emery assurances over future of tearful Emiliano Martinez
- 3 Arsenal offer £135k deal to seduce target
- 4 Mikel Arteta ready to give his life to deliver silverware for Arsenal
- 5 Leyton Orient book Wembley date by beating Stockport on penalties
- 6 Chelsea beat Manchester United in FA Cup final to seal domestic treble
- 7 Mikel Arteta apologises for failing to deliver Arsenal a Premier League title
- 8 Liverpool cleared to complete signing
- 9 Brendan Rodgers hits out at ‘needless challenge’ on Reo Hatate
- 10 Marc Guehi to land transfer to Real or Barca