Ollie Watkins kept up his strong form as Aston Villa recovered from their recent defeat to beat a sloppy Nottingham Forest side.
The England forward scored his fourth goal in three games as Villa claimed an 11th straight home win – their best run in 36 years – bouncing back perfectly after losing to Arsenal earlier in the week.
John McGinn scored twice to help Villa move up to second in the Premier League and open a 12-point gap over fifth-placed Chelsea, even though Morgan Gibbs-White pulled one back for Forest.
The defeat made things worse for Nottingham Forest, who suffered a fourth consecutive league loss for the first time in over two years – a poor run that previously led to Steve Cooper losing his job. Sean Dyche’s side are now just four points above the relegation zone and face a crucial match at West Ham on Tuesday.
Forest offered little going forward apart from an Omari Hutchinson effort and were lucky not to fall behind earlier when goalkeeper John Victor denied Watkins. Watkins eventually broke the deadlock just before half-time with a powerful strike from 20 yards.
McGinn made it 2-0 soon after the break, before Gibbs-White reduced the deficit. However, Forest goalkeeper John was caught out of position, allowing McGinn to score his second from long range and seal the win for Villa.
