Aston Villa were back to winning ways on Saturday (Feb 24) after they crushed Nottingham Forest 4-2 at Villa Park. Villa who are now fourth in the Premier League standings needed a brace from Douglas Luiz as they got the better of Forest. With no Spurs in action and Manchester United losing, Villa fans are dreaming of Champions League football with a third of the season remaining. Here are the player ratings for the Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest contest.
Aston Villa Player Ratings
Emiliano Martinez (6/10)
While Emiliano Martinez dinked a little too easily for Gibbs-White’s goal, Hudson-Odoi was denied by one excellent stop. Since Awoniyi’s header was so close, there wasn’t much that could be done.
Matty Cash (7/10)
Matty Cash was caught a little napping when Forest’s second goal was scored by playing Gibbs-White onside. It was unfortunate since he had performed admirably in the lead-up, setting up Ramsey with a precise pass before Luiz’s first goal and creating a fantastic opportunity for McGinn before Luiz’s second.
Clement Lenglet (6/10)
Clement Lenglet pressed up to attempt to block Origi’s assist to Gibbs-White, but the tackle attempt lacked sufficient effort, which was disappointing. showed good poise the entire time, passing out from behind.
Pau Torres (7/10)
As powerful and self-assured as ever, both in and out of the ball Pau Torres looked unfazed by Awoniyi’s physical attributes. Torres was removed at half time, most likely out of prudence.
Alex Moreno (6/10)
Alex Moreno had a chance to help on the Tielemans cutback before the midfielder struck the crossbar. Moreno was booked for essentially tackling Neco Williams like a rugby player.
Douglas Luiz (8/10)
Douglas Luiz scored twice in the first half to give Villa a boost; both goals were expertly placed. The first was a first-time header into the near-top corner, while the second was a first-time lofted strike. He witnessed a decline in performance in the second half, though, and let up more balls than he would have liked.
John McGinn (9/10)
John McGinn utterly controlled the midfield action, appearing almost everywhere to regain possession and generate opportunities. He scored a superb assist with a well-placed cross for Luiz’s header.
Jacob Ramsey (7/10)
Jacob Ramsey helped Luiz score his first goal by passing delicately into the danger zone while maintaining excellent poise. Moreover, he deserved it because he posed a risk when traveling through the center and on the left.
Leon Bailey (9/10)
Watkins’ first goal came from an absolutely fantastic assist, as Leon Bailey beat two players—one with a nutmeg—before finding the striker with a precise low cross. He scored a tap-in to make it 4-2 and scored one of his easiest goals of the season.
Youri Tielemans (8/10)
Throughout, did a great job of dribbling out of confined places and produced two outstanding opportunities, one for Bailey and one for Watkins.
Ollie Watkins (8/10)
Ollie Watkins achieved one of his simpler goals of the season in terms of finish, but it still needed some excellent running placement and timing. Played a terrific hold-up role as usual and contributed to Villa’s fourth goal, albeit Bailey’s tap-in put his shot past the goalkeeper.
Also Read: Trippier and Watkins Secures Top Spot in Premier League Most Assists Race after Gameweek 25
Nottingham Forest Player Rating
Matz Sels (6/10)
Matz Sels didn’t receive any assistance from those in front of him on the goals given up. For the hosts, it was far too simple.
Neco Williams (6.5/10)
Neco Williams was better in the second half after a challenging first forty-five minutes overall. He made a few tackles and showed no lack of effort.
Felipe (4/10)
Felipe appeared to be moving slowly, considering how dominant the Reds were defensively prior to halftime. Given that both center backs had received bookings, it was not surprising that they were switched at halftime.
Murillo (4/10)
A really difficult forty-five minutes for the young Brazilian and was not even close to his best. In the first half, Forest was completely absent from the races, both individually and collectively.
Moussa Niakhate (5/10)
Moussa Niakhate played left-back for a torturous forty-five minutes, albeit he did finish with a goal. switched to center defense in the second half and appeared more at ease.
Danilo (6/10)
Despite being guilty of a couple of careless passes, Danilo improved in the second half even when the quality wasn’t evident, and didn’t back down when things got difficult.
Nicolas Domingue (5/10)
Not nearly to the Argentine’s customary level as the visitors found it difficult to control the game. Nicolas Domingue was not the only one who performed poorly.
Anthony Elanga (6/10)
Anthony Elanga missed an excellent opportunity to bring the Reds back level after Gibbs-White and Niakhate had trimmed the margin. Not many chances for Villa’s pace to be a problem.
Morgan Gibbs-White (6.5/10)
Morgan Gibbs-White tried to make some sort of effort, at least. He made a calm conclusion to make the score 3-2 and gave Forest some hope, but they soon fired a warning shot at themselves.
Callum Hudson-Odoi (5/10)
In the first half, Niakhate needed greater protection down the Reds’ left from Callum Hudson-Odoi. Perhaps he would have performed better in the second half, considering his recent goal-scoring record.
Taiwo Awoniyi (5.5/10)
Taiwo Awoniyi received assistance when he set up Niakhate just before halftime. Though obviously not at his best, he is still improving his fitness.
Also Read: Premier League Top Scorer: Latest Golden Boot Standings After Gameweek 25