Aston Villa 1-2 Nottingham Forest: Delap and Igor Jesus punish wasteful hosts at Villa Park
By Ali Ammar · goals2026.org
Nottingham Forest left Aston Villa to rue a slow start and a costly late lapse as they slipped to a 2-1 defeat at Villa Park in Matchweek 4. Liam Delap's early second-half strike set the tone for a Forest performance built on control and clinical finishing, and although Alysson Edward's equaliser briefly threatened to swing momentum back towards the hosts, Igor Jesus settled matters in the closing stages to send Nottingham Forest back up the road with all three points.
A frantic finish to the first half
Villa were forced into an early reshuffle when Pau Torres came on in the 25th minute, and the closing stages of the opening period turned scrappy as discipline began to fray on both sides. Dan Ndoye was cautioned for Forest just before the break, with Murillo Santiago following him into referee's notebook right on the stroke of half-time. Villa were not immune either, with Nicolas Jackson booked in the 45th minute before being withdrawn immediately, George Hemmings introduced in his place as Unai Emery's side looked to freshen things up before the restart.
Delap strikes early in the second half
Whatever adjustments were made at the interval counted for little once the second half began, as Forest were ahead within a minute of the restart. Liam Delap turned home the opener in the 46th minute, continuing his fine individual campaign and giving the visitors a lead they would not relinquish. Xaver Schlager picked up a yellow card shortly after the hour as Forest's midfield battled to hold their advantage, though the platform Delap's goal provided allowed the away side to dictate much of the play that followed.
Alysson Edward drags Villa level
Emery turned to his bench again just after the hour, bringing on Emiliano Buendía and Ross Barkley in the 63rd minute in search of a spark, and the changes bore fruit. Alysson Edward levelled the scores in the 74th minute, a goal that lifted Villa Park and briefly suggested the hosts might complete a turnaround. It capped a fine individual display from the forward, whose performance on the night was among the best on either side. Forest responded to the setback by making changes of their own, with Dan Ndoye withdrawn in the 75th minute as Delap picked up a booking around the same passage of play, while James Mcatee was cautioned in the 80th minute before being replaced two minutes later.
Igor Jesus has the final word
Just when Villa appeared to have wrestled back some control, Igor Jesus restored Forest's lead in the 88th minute, a decisive intervention that proved to be the winning goal. Delap was withdrawn in stoppage time having already left his mark on the contest, and Tyrone Mings was shown a late yellow card as Villa pushed unsuccessfully for a way back into the game. Forest saw out the closing exchanges comfortably enough to secure the win.
By the numbers
The statistics tell their own story of a match in which Villa enjoyed more of the ball but could not translate it into the clearer chances. Villa held 53% possession to Forest's 47%, yet it was the visitors who dominated the shot count, firing 22 attempts to Villa's six, with seven of those on target compared to five for the hosts. Forest were also the more threatening side from set pieces going the other way defensively, conceding six corners to Villa's one, while both goalkeepers were kept busy, each recording five saves across the ninety minutes. M. Sels was a key figure for Forest between the posts, rated the highest performer on the pitch at 7.98, just ahead of Alysson Edward's 7.86 for the hosts, with Igor Jesus, L. Delap and M. Gibbs-White all featuring prominently in a strong collective showing from the away side.
The result continues an eye-catching run for Forest's front line, with Delap, Igor Jesus, Ndoye and Gibbs-White all among the tournament's in-form contributors this term, even if the likes of Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi remain out in front in the wider Golden Boot picture. For Villa, attention will now turn to how quickly they can regroup, with full coverage and analysis available on goals2026.org's news pages. Both clubs return to Premier League action shortly, with the latest fixtures and this result in full detailed on the fixtures list, while a complete breakdown of the afternoon's action can be found on the match centre page.