Premier League · Sat, 3 Jan 2026 ·
Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest — 3 - 1
Villa Park · Referee: Simon Hooper, England
Match report
Aston Villa beat Nottingham Forest 3-1 as John McGinn scores twice
Nottingham Forest were beaten 3-1 by Aston Villa at Villa Park on Saturday, 3 January 2026 in Premier League matchday 20. Ollie Watkins (45+1') and John McGinn (49', 73') scored for Aston Villa, while Morgan Gibbs-White (61') found the net for Nottingham Forest. It was 1-0 at half-time.
Aston Villa had 73% of the ball and 11 shots (4 on target) against Nottingham Forest’s 10 (5 on target). John McGinn (Aston Villa) was the top-rated player with 8.3. The result leaves Aston Villa 16th in the Premier League table on 4 points and Nottingham Forest 13th on 5.
In the headlines this week
Form, table and head-to-head
| # | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | Manchester United | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| 13 | Nottingham Forest | 5 | -1 | 5 |
| 14 | Sunderland | 5 | -4 | 4 |
| 15 | Crystal Palace | 5 | -5 | 4 |
| 16 | Aston Villa | 5 | -5 | 4 |
| 17 | Bournemouth | 5 | -2 | 3 |
Last meetings
No previous meetings on record.
Next meeting: Sun, 12 Apr 2026, Nottingham Forest 1-1 Aston Villa
Match events
- 45+1'goalOllie WatkinsAssist: Morgan Rogers
- 49'goalJohn McGinnAssist: Matty Cash
- 61'goalMorgan Gibbs-WhiteAssist: Dilane Bakwa
- 65'yellow cardDilane BakwaYellow Card
- 69'substitutionEmiliano BuendíaOff: Jadon Sancho
- 69'substitutionIan MaatsenOff: Lucas Digne
- 69'substitutionDilane BakwaOff: James McAtee
- 69'substitutionOla AinaOff: Nicolò Savona
- 73'goalJohn McGinnAssist: Youri Tielemans
- 78'substitutionJohn VictorOff: Matz Sels
- 83'substitutionJohn McGinnOff: Lamare Bogarde
- 83'substitutionOllie WatkinsOff: Donyell Malen
- 83'substitutionIgor JesusOff: Arnaud Kalimuendo
- 83'substitutionNicolás DomínguezOff: Douglas Luiz
- 89'yellow cardJames McAteeYellow Card
- 90'substitutionMatty CashOff: Andrés García
- 90+4'yellow cardLamare BogardeYellow Card
Lineups
Aston Villa
Formation 4-2-3-1 · Coach Unai Emery
Starting XI
- 23Emiliano MartínezG
- 2Matty CashD
- 4Ezri KonsaD
- 3Victor LindelöfD
- 22Ian MaatsenD
- 44Boubacar KamaraM
- 8Youri TielemansM
- 7John McGinnM
- 27Morgan RogersM
- 10Emiliano BuendíaM
- 11Ollie WatkinsF
Substitutes
Nottingham Forest
Formation 4-5-1 · Coach Vitor Pereira
Starting XI
- 13John VictorG
- 34Ola AinaD
- 31Nikola MilenkovićD
- 5MurilloD
- 3Neco WilliamsD
- 21Omari HutchinsonM
- 10Morgan Gibbs-WhiteM
- 8Elliot AndersonM
- 16Nicolás DomínguezM
- 29Dilane BakwaM
- 19Igor JesusF
Substitutes
Match statistics
- 73%Possession27%
- 1.59Expected goals (xG)0.89
- 11Total shots10
- 4Shots on target5
- 3Shots off target3
- 4Blocked shots2
- 5Shots inside the box6
- 6Shots outside the box4
- 4Corners4
- 1Offsides4
- 10Fouls20
- 1Yellow cards2
- –Red cards–
- 4Goalkeeper saves1
- 645Passes239
- 579Accurate passes170
- 90%Pass accuracy71%
- -1.55Goals prevented-1.55
Player statistics
Aston Villa
| Player | Min | Rating | G | A |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23Emiliano MartínezG | 90 | 7.0 | ||
| 2Matty CashD | 89 | 7.3 | 1 | |
| 3Victor LindelöfD | 90 | 7.0 | ||
| 4Ezri KonsaD | 90 | 7.3 | ||
| 22Ian MaatsenD | 69 | 6.2 | ||
| 7John McGinnMTop rated | 83 | 8.3 | 2 | |
| 8Youri TielemansM | 90 | 7.9 | 1 | |
| 10Emiliano BuendíaM | 69 | 6.7 | ||
| 27Morgan RogersM | 90 | 6.9 | 1 | |
| 44Boubacar KamaraM | 90 | 7.6 | ||
| 11Ollie WatkinsF | 83 | 7.9 | 1 | |
| 40Marco BizotG | – | – | ||
| 12Lucas DigneD | 21 | 6.6 | ||
| 16Andrés GarcíaD | 8 | 6.7 | ||
| 71TJ CarrollD | – | – | ||
| 20Jamaldeen JimohM | – | – | ||
| 26Lamare BogardeM | 15 | 6.3 | ||
| 53George HemmingsM | – | – | ||
| 17Donyell MalenF | 15 | 6.3 | ||
| 19Jadon SanchoF | 21 | 6.3 |
Nottingham Forest
| Player | Min | Rating | G | A |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13John VictorG | 78 | 5.3 | ||
| 3Neco WilliamsD | 90 | 6.2 | ||
| 5MurilloD | 90 | 6.6 | ||
| 31Nikola MilenkovićD | 90 | 6.2 | ||
| 34Ola AinaD | 69 | 6.2 | ||
| 8Elliot AndersonM | 90 | 6.3 | ||
| 10Morgan Gibbs-WhiteM | 90 | 7.7 | 1 | |
| 16Nicolás DomínguezM | 83 | 7.3 | ||
| 21Omari HutchinsonM | 90 | 6.5 | ||
| 29Dilane BakwaM | 69 | 6.2 | 1 | |
| 19Igor JesusF | 83 | 6.0 | ||
| 26Matz SelsG | 12 | 6.7 | ||
| 4MoratoD | – | – | ||
| 35Oleksandr ZinchenkoD | – | – | ||
| 37Nicolò SavonaD | 21 | 6.2 | ||
| 44Zach AbbottD | – | – | ||
| 12Douglas LuizM | 14 | 6.7 | ||
| 24James McAteeM | 21 | 6.2 | ||
| 9Taiwo AwoniyiF | – | – | ||
| 15Arnaud KalimuendoF | 14 | 6.3 |