Match report

Aston Villa Defeat Nottingham Forest 3-1 in Premier League Clash

Aston Villa
Aston Villa
3–1
FT
Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest
Jan 3, 2026

Aston Villa defeated Nottingham Forest by a score of 3-1 in an intense Premier League encounter. The Villans took control early through goals from Ollie Watkins and John McGinn, while Morgan Gibbs-White scored for Forest. A late goal from McGinn sealed the win for Aston Villa.

Key Facts

  • • Aston Villa 3 - Nottingham Forest 1
  • • Ollie Watkins (45'), John McGinn (49' and 73') scored for Aston Villa
  • • Morgan Gibbs-White (61') scored for Nottingham Forest
  • • D. Bakwa received a yellow card at minute 65, followed by substitutions from both teams
  • • L. Bogarde was shown a yellow card in added time

Lineups

Aston Villa

Formation: 4-2-3-1

Starting XI

  • 23 E. Martinez (G)
  • 2 M. Cash (D)
  • 4 E. Konsa (D)
  • 3 V. Lindelof (D)
  • 22 I. Maatsen (D)
  • 44 B. Kamara (M)
  • 8 Y. Tielemans (M)
  • 7 J. McGinn (M)
  • 27 M. Rogers (M)
  • 10 E. Buendia (M)
  • 11 O. Watkins (F)

Substitutes

  • 40 M. Bizot
  • 12 L. Digne
  • 16 A. Garcia
  • 71 T. Carroll
  • 26 L. Bogarde
  • 53 G. Hemmings
  • 19 J. Sancho
  • 17 D. Malen
  • 20 J. Jimoh-Aloba

Nottingham Forest

Formation: 4-5-1

Starting XI

  • 13 John Victor (G)
  • 34 O. Aina (D)
  • 31 N. Milenkovic (D)
  • 5 Murillo (D)
  • 3 N. Williams (D)
  • 21 O. Hutchinson (M)
  • 10 M. Gibbs-White (M)
  • 8 E. Anderson (M)
  • 16 N. Dominguez (M)
  • 29 D. Bakwa (M)
  • 19 Igor Jesus (F)

Substitutes

  • 26 M. Sels
  • 4 Morato
  • 9 T. Awoniyi
  • 12 Douglas Luiz
  • 15 A. Kalimuendo
  • 24 J. McAtee
  • 35 O. Zinchenko
  • 37 N. Savona
  • 44 Z. Abbott

Timeline

  1. Aston Villa
    45' Aston Villa Goal · Normal Goal
    O. Watkins · Assist: Morgan Rogers
  2. Aston Villa
    49' Aston Villa Goal · Normal Goal
    J. McGinn · Assist: M. Cash
  3. Nottingham Forest
    61' Nottingham Forest Goal · Normal Goal
    Morgan Gibbs-White · Assist: D. Bakwa
  4. Nottingham Forest
    65' Nottingham Forest Card · Yellow Card
    D. Bakwa

    Foul

  5. Nottingham Forest
    69' Nottingham Forest subst · Substitution 1
    Off: D. Bakwa · On: J. McAtee
  6. Nottingham Forest
    69' Nottingham Forest subst · Substitution 2
    Off: Ola Aina · On: N. Savona
  7. Aston Villa
    73' Aston Villa Goal · Normal Goal
    J. McGinn · Assist: Y. Tielemans
  8. Nottingham Forest
    78' Nottingham Forest subst · Substitution 3
    Off: John Victor · On: Matz Sels
  9. Aston Villa
    83' Aston Villa subst · Substitution 3
    Off: J. McGinn · On: L. Bogarde
  10. Nottingham Forest
    83' Nottingham Forest subst · Substitution 4
    Off: N. Dominguez · On: Douglas Luiz
  11. Nottingham Forest
    83' Nottingham Forest subst · Substitution 5
    Off: Igor Jesus · On: A. Kalimuendo
  12. Nottingham Forest
    89' Nottingham Forest Card · Yellow Card
    J. McAtee

    Foul

  13. Aston Villa
    90'+4 Aston Villa Card · Yellow Card
    L. Bogarde

    Foul

  14. Aston Villa
    90' Aston Villa subst · Substitution 5
    Off: M. Cash · On: Andrés García

Match Stats

Stat Aston Villa Nottingham Forest
Fouls 10 20
Pass Accuracy 90% 71%
Offsides 1 4
Red Cards — —
Total Shots 11 10
Corners 4 4
Total Passes 645 239
Yellow Cards 1 2
Blocked Shots 4 2
Shots on Target 4 5
xG 1.59 0.89
Shots off Target 3 3
Possession 73% 27%
Goals Prevented -1 -1
Accurate Passes 579 170
Shots Inside Box 5 6
Saves 4 1
Shots Outside Box 6 4

Key Match Notes

  • ▸ Aston Villa took the lead through Ollie Watkins' goal right before halftime, setting the tone for the match.
  • ▸ John McGinn's second goal just after the hour mark reinforced Aston Villa’s dominance and countered Nottingham Forest's momentum after their quick response.
  • ▸ The introduction of L. Bogarde from Aston Villa in the 83rd minute helped consolidate the lead, despite a late yellow card.