Aston Villa’s search for a first Premier League win of the season goes on after Igor Jesus struck in the 88th minute to hand Nottingham Forest a 2-1 victory at Villa Park on Saturday. The defeat means Unai Emery’s side have taken just one point from their opening four league matches and sit in the bottom three.
Forest broke the deadlock only 45 seconds after the interval when Liam Delap advanced from midfield and fired a low shot past Zion Suzuki. Villa responded through substitute Alysson, who headed home from a John McGinn cross in the 74th minute to register his first goal for the club and briefly shift the momentum.
That resurgence was short-lived. Ian Maatsen hobbled off with an injury inside the final ten minutes and, with Emery having already exhausted his five permitted changes, the hosts were forced to see out the game a man light. Jesus capitalised on the numerical advantage to find the net two minutes from time, securing Forest’s first league win under Oliver Glasner and their first at Villa Park since 1994, according to BBC Sport.
Villa might have led early on had Victor Lindelof converted a chaotic sixth-minute sequence. Emiliano Buendía’s cross found the defender, whose initial effort deflected off Murillo and was clawed away by Matz Sels. Replays suggested part of the ball crossed the line, but play continued, and Sels then produced a reflex save to deny Lindelof again on the rebound.
Emery made two changes at half-time, withdrawing Nicolas Jackson and George Hemmings in favour of Tammy Abraham and Alysson. Johan Manzambi and Ibrahim Mbaye were also introduced shortly after the hour mark to make their debuts, with the latter forcing a save from Sels soon after arriving.
The afternoon brought further problems beyond the scoreboard. Pau Torres left the pitch injured during the first half and was replaced by Tyrone Mings, adding to a growing list of fitness concerns for the manager. Aaron Wan-Bissaka continued at right-back with Matty Cash still sidelined by muscle discomfort.
After the final whistle, Emery directed frustration towards the officiating. Both BirminghamWorld and the Express & Star reported that the head coach questioned VAR’s involvement in what he considered a pivotal moment of the contest.
Sky Sports highlighted another unwelcome statistic for the Villa manager: the loss extends his winless run against Glasner to eight meetings. With no transfer window available until January 2027, Emery must work with his current squad to arrest a slide that has yielded defeats by Brighton, Arsenal and now Forest, alongside a draw with Hull City.
