Ollie Watkins awful, Tielemans amazing – Aston Villa ratings v Nottingham Forest
Aston Villa’s superb first-half performance was enough to claim all three points against Nottingham Forest at Villa Park on Saturday.
Goals from Morgan Rogers and Donyell Malen, just two minutes apart, saw the Villans shoot into a two-goal lead, with Ian Maatsen, Youri Tielemans and Marco Asensio all threatening a third.
However, with plenty of missed chances for Unai Emery’s side, Forest got straight back into the game through Jota Silva, who had only replaced Anthony Elanga during the half-time break.
Nuno Espirito Santo has experienced a brilliant season with Forest, with his side battling for Champions League qualification, and Villa were only just able to keep them from equalising on 5 April.
Axel Disasi shines as his superb Aston Villa loan spell continues
Emi Martinez – 6
Made a stunning save to deny Silva in the final few minutes, even if it was offside. Some of his kicks led to more pressure being put on his team, though. A mixed display in between the sticks.
Andres Garcia (Off for Ezri Konsa 46′) – 4
Lost a few too many duels down the right flank, having been paired up against Hudson-Odoi. Probably the right idea from Emery to replace him with the more experienced head of Konsa.
Axel Disasi – 8
Looked extremely solid at defence, winning all of his ground duels and rarely sending one of his passes astray. Could have chosen some better options in the final third, though.
Tyrone Mings – 6
Outshone in the centre of defence by his partner but still made some necessary interventions at the back. Nothing that stood out, but also nothing silly from the experienced defender.
Ian Maatsen – 7
Was unlucky not to get himself on the scoresheet in the early exchanges but played a major role down the left flank, working nicely with Rogers to produce some chances in the final third.
Amadou Onana (Off for Boubacar Kamara 62′) – 6
A reasonable display from the Belgian, who is still getting back up to speed with the game after a long time on the sidelines. Looked to be losing a bit of energy a few minutes into the second half.
Youri Tielemans runs the show against Nottingham Forest
Youri Tielemans – 9 – Man of the Match
Continued to pull the strings for the teammates ahead of him, and when no other option was available, he made Matz Sels work when aiming at goal from a long distance.
Donyell Malen (Off for Jacob Ramsey 62′) – 7
Scored in consecutive games, having notched against Brighton just two minutes into his cameo, and continued that form at Villa Park.
Marco Asensio (Off for John McGinn 73′) – 6
It is easy to see why Villa fans want Asensio to join permanently this summer, making everything look so effortless, but he could not seal his performance with a goal or assist.
Morgan Rogers – 8
Got Villa off to their lightning start against the Reds, firing under Sels after just 13 minutes. He’s been an incredible addition to the squad since moving from Middlesbrough in January 2024.
Ollie Watkins barely noticeable in star-studded Villa attack
Ollie Watkins (Off for Marcus Rashford 62′) – 2
Managed just 10 touches at Villa Park [FotMob], unable to really get into the game before being replaced by Rashford. Another frustrating night for the England international.
Substitutes
Ezri Konsa (On for Garcia 46′) – 6
Remained solid in defence and likely made the difference between three points and one.
Marcus Rashford (On for Watkins 62′) – 5
Tried his best to add a third goal but couldn’t make the desired impact when replacing Watkins.
Jacob Ramsey (On for Malen 62′) – 7
Created chance after chance for his teammates, but with no one able to fire the ball home, his presence on the pitch went underappreciated.
Boubacar Kamara (On for Onana 62′) – 5
Very much needed to replace Onana but lacked the energy and accuracy to tighten up Villa’s midfield.
John McGinn (On for Asensio 73′) – 6
Picked up some key fouls to run down the clock, doing exactly the job he was sent on the pitch to do.