Aston Villa secured a 3-1 victory over Nottingham Forest at Villa Park, moving into second place in the Premier League. John McGinn scored twice, while Ollie Watkins opened the scoring. The win highlights Villa's strong home form amid a tight title race.
Aston Villa hosted Nottingham Forest in a Premier League Midlands derby on January 3, 2026, at Villa Park. The match kicked off at 12:30 GMT, with both teams seeking to recover from recent defeats—Villa to Arsenal and Forest to Everton.
The first half saw Villa dominate possession, circulating the ball effectively but struggling to create clear chances. Forest defended deeply and posed little threat. The breakthrough came in stoppage time when Ollie Watkins turned sharply on the edge of the box and fired a powerful right-footed strike into the top corner, giving Villa a 1-0 lead at halftime.
Villa carried their momentum into the second half. Early on, Matty Cash delivered a low cross into the penalty area, where John McGinn arrived to side-foot the ball past goalkeeper John Victor for his first goal in three months, making it 2-0.
Forest responded just past the hour mark. Morgan Gibbs-White, captaining the side, ran onto a well-weighted through ball from Dilane Bakwa and lifted a composed finish over Emiliano Martinez, reducing the deficit to 2-1.
Any hopes of a Forest comeback ended in the 73rd minute. Youri Tielemans played a long pass forward that drew Victor out of his area. McGinn reacted first, rounded the stranded keeper, and finished into an empty net for his second goal of the match and first Premier League brace.
Villa managed the closing stages comfortably, completing nearly 600 passes and outperforming their expected goals. The result extends their strong home form, placing them second, three points behind leaders Arsenal. Forest remain embroiled in the relegation battle and now look to their next fixture against Wolves or West Ham.
