Aston Villa survived a stirring Nottingham Forest comeback to boost their Champions League hopes.
Villa looked in total control against Forest, lying third in the Premier League, when quick-fire goals from Morgan Rogers and Donyell Malen gave them a 2-0 lead after only 15 minutes.
Rogers ran clear to score with a composed finish before Malen timed his arrival in the six-yard area perfectly to turn in Ian Maatsen’s inviting cross two minutes later.
Forest – with their own Champions League qualification ambitions – cleared their heads after a dreadful start to play their way into the game and both Anthony Elanga and Callum Hudson-Odoi were only inches away before the break.
This season’s Premier League surprise package continued their improvement after the interval, getting their reward when substitute Jota Silva scored on the turn after 57 minutes.
Forest came close again as efforts from Elliot Anderson and Neco Williams were just wide, while Rogers almost put Villa out of sight after a superb solo run forced a fine save from keeper Matz Sels.
There was drama right to the end, as Forest’s Murillo crashed a long-range effort against the crossbar, then Sels denied substitute Marcus Rashford when he was clean through.
Villa’s win moved them to within one point of Chelsea in fourth place, while Forest remain in third despite this setback.
