"Aston Villa continue to surpass expectations as they bounced back from defeat by Arsenal to cement their place in the top three. Ollie Watkins celebrated his 250th appearance for the club with his fourth goal in three games and John McGinn added two more as Unai Emery's side won their 11th straight home game. Villa's ability to score out of next to nothing epitomises their season. They managed this game superbly, inflicting a fourth straight defeat on Nottingham Forest, but if the league table was made up of their expected goals difference, they would have started this weekend in 15th place."
"Watkins should probably have been celebrating his 250th appearance for Villa with a goal within two minutes of kick-off but John Victor, retaining his place from Matz Sels, saved superbly from point-blank range. This offered great relief for Neco Williams, who, reverting to left-back with Ola Aina back from his long-term hamstring injury, took too long to clear and was dispossessed by Morgan Rogers, who fed Watkins for a toe-poke goalwards from six yards out."
Aston Villa recovered from a heavy defeat to Arsenal to secure a convincing home victory over Nottingham Forest, moving into the Premier League top three. Ollie Watkins marked his 250th appearance with his fourth goal in three matches, while John McGinn added two goals as Unai Emery's side extended their unbeaten run at Villa Park to 11 consecutive wins. Villa dominated early possession and created consistent chances, turning minimal opportunities into decisive goals. Expected goals metrics suggest Villa's league position overperforms underlying statistics. Nottingham Forest slipped closer to a relegation battle despite Morgan Gibbs-White scoring.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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