McGinn brace and Watkins strike send Aston Villa to 3-1 win over Nottingham Forest

Aston Villa beat Nottingham Forest 3-1 at Villa Park thanks to goals from Ollie Watkins (45+1) and a brace from John McGinn (49, 73). Morgan Gibbs-White pulled one back for Forest in the 62nd minute.

Villa dominated for long spells, creating numerous chances and completing a season-high number of passes in the first half, while Forest offered occasional threat on the break. McGinn’s second came after a costly error by Forest goalkeeper John Victor, who was then substituted and looked visibly upset.

McGinn was named player of the match. He told Sky Sports the win was a reaction to a recent poor result and said his celebration was "a wee joke in the dressing room".

The victory lifts Villa to second in the table, three points behind Arsenal but having played one more game. Forest remain 17th, with West Ham able to cut the four-point gap to them in their game against Wolves.

Unai Emery’s side finished strongly but missed several chances that could have made the scoreline more emphatic. Forest will be searching for points as they try to climb out of the drop zone.

Key Topics

Sports, Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest, John Mcginn, Ollie Watkins, Morgan Gibbs-white