For the first time since 1914, Aston Villa have recorded 11 consecutive wins across all competitions, with John McGinn scoring his first Premier League brace to guide Unai Emery’s side to a 3–1 victory over Nottingham Forest.

Villa started brightly, with Ollie Watkins testing Forest keeper John Victor inside the opening two minutes after Morgan Rogers blocked Neco Williams’ attempted clearance. Victor reacted instinctively, producing a smart save to keep the score level.

The hosts continued to dominate possession and territory, though Emiliano Buendía’s shot forced little more than a deflection before reaching Victor. Forest occasionally threatened on the break, but a poorly executed short corner gifted Villa a counter-attack that ultimately came to nothing.

Forest’s first meaningful chance came on the half-hour when Nicolas Dominguez set up Omari Hutchinson, whose curling effort was well-palm away by Emiliano Martinez. Villa’s persistence, however, paid off in the final moments of the first half, as Watkins unleashed a thunderous strike from outside the box that beat Victor, who could only get a slight touch.

Momentum swings

Just four minutes into the second half, Villa doubled their lead. McGinn timed his run perfectly to meet Matty Cash’s low cross ahead of Nikola Milenkovic, slotting home a composed first-time finish.

Forest responded when Dilane Bakwa, after missing an initial chance, threaded a pass to Morgan Gibbs-White around the hour mark. The Forest captain rounded Martinez and dinked home to halve the deficit.

However, Villa restored their two-goal cushion shortly after. As Victor rushed from his goal recklessly, McGinn seized the opportunity and calmly slotted into the empty net. The Forest goalkeeper was forced off injured in the aftermath.

Martinez ensured Villa held on, palming away a late effort from Gibbs-White, securing a morale-boosting victory following their heavy defeat to Arsenal. The win moves Villa into second place in the Premier League, three points behind the leaders.

Forest, meanwhile, have now lost four consecutive league matches, sitting four points above the relegation zone ahead of West Ham United’s clash with Wolves. Notably, the last six head-to-head meetings between these sides have been won by the home team.