Nottingham Forest boosted their survival hopes by earning a 1-1 draw against Aston Villa, moving three points clear of the Premier League relegation zone.
Vitor Pereira’s team are now unbeaten in four league matches and sit 16th in the table, increasing the gap between themselves and 18th-placed Tottenham, who suffered a 1-0 defeat to Sunderland.
The hosts fell behind early at the City Ground when Murillo accidentally diverted Morgan Rogers’ dangerous cross into his own net in the 23rd minute, giving Unai Emery’s side the lead.
Villa nearly extended their advantage when Rogers hit the crossbar after being picked out by John McGinn. However, Forest responded before the break, with Neco Williams firing a low effort into the bottom-left corner from 18 yards out seven minutes before half-time.
Clear chances were limited for much of the second half until just past the hour mark. Marco Bizot denied Morgan Gibbs-White with a sharp clearance, while McGinn tested Matz Sels, who produced a strong save.
Villa had opportunities to snatch all three points late on, with Rogers blasting over after a delivery from Ross Barkley caused problems, and Ollie Watkins also missing a clear chance, leaving the visitors frustrated.
Data Debrief: Williams delivers again
Williams continued his impressive form, contributing directly to three goals in his last two league appearances (one goal, two assists), surpassing his output from his previous 32 games combined.
The Welsh full-back was also Forest’s main attacking threat, registering a game-high four shots, with three on target—accounting for the majority of his side’s efforts on goal.
Despite the positive result, Forest’s struggles at home persist, as they are now without a win in eight league matches at the City Ground (four draws, four defeats).
Even so, Pereira can take encouragement from his side’s performance, having created 1.2 expected goals compared to Villa’s 0.98 in a closely contested match.
