O. Watkins has scored a goal for Aston Villa! Assist by J. Ramsey.
After celebrating by whipping his shirt off in front of the happy home fans, Watkins adds a yellow card to his goal - but he won't care!
WATKINS STRIKES AGAIN! With seconds ticking down to the final whistle, the Villa striker pounces! Exchanging the ball with Ramsey in the box, he coolly receives a return pass and clips the ball over Navas' dive from 12 yards out. It nestles into the back of the net for his ninth goal in 11 Premier League matches! It's 2-0 to Villa and that's game over!
Stationed on the left side of the area, Ramsey returns a pass from Watkins, setting up the striker's smart finish.
90' +3
In the third minute of four indicated for stoppage time, Villa continue to soak up the seconds by playing slowly and keeping Forest at arm's length. Surely three more points are in the bag now?
90' +1
H. Toffolo gets yellow.
With a reckless challenge that takes out Traore from the side, Toffolo earns himself a merited booking. That was an awful tackle.
90'
O. Mangala gets yellow.
A foul on McGinn sees Mangala become the latest player to have his name jotted in the referee's notebook.
89'
Not for the first time today, Watkins contributes defensively by winning a header at the near post, clearing away Gibbs-White's inswinging corner from the right.
87'
Another Forest attack fizzles out on the right, after they delay too long before delivering the ball. The away side really have seemed devoid of ideas in the final third today.
85'
T. Awoniyi gets yellow.
E. Konsa gets yellow.
Awoniyi is drawn into some jostling and an angry exchange with Konsa, which sees the substitute booked.
For becoming involved in some pre-corner shoving with Awoniyi, Konsa receives a yellow card.
84'
Using his vast experience, Young wins a time-killing corner by striking the ball against Toffolo.
82'
An injury to Niakhate brings the action to a temporary halt, and the Forest defender will have to trek over to the touchline for some further medical attention.
Minute
Description
80'
There's no doubt Aston Villa's priority is now to kill this game, and they are taking every opportunity to slow proceedings down from throw-ins and other set-pieces - much to Forest's frustration.
78'
A. Ayew enters the game and replaces Danilo.
Ayew will aim to add a little guile up front for Forest as they chase an equaliser, and Danilo makes way.
77'
Awoniyi is caught offside as he tries to outsmart Villa's back line for the second time in a matter of moments, but the substitute striker is certainly giving Mings something different to think about in the game's closing stages.
75'
L. Dendoncker enters the game and replaces E. Buendía.
Following a patchy display, Buendia is withdrawn by Emery, who adds more defensive cover by introducing Dendoncker in his place.
74'
Gibbs-White chases back on defensive duty, cutting out Mings' attempted throughball and sparking a Nottingham Forest counter-attack. At its end, though, a tired Johnson challenge clips Konsa and concedes a free-kick.
72'
Navas easily claims a mishit cross from the left by Moreno, who has given Williams plenty to think about on that flank today - it's been a good battle between the two full-backs.
70'
When Ramsey dwells on the ball in midfield, Williams does well to steal it; teeing up Danilo to embark on another driving run forward. However, his subsequent shot lacks accuracy and drifts over the crossbar from 20 yards.
65'
O. Mangala enters the game and replaces J. Shelvey.
T. Awoniyi enters the game and replaces J. Worrall.
Mangala also comes on for the final quarter of the game, as Shelvey makes way in midfield.
Cooper feels that the time is right to act, opting to make a double substitution. First, Awoniyi returns to action, replacing Forest captain Worrall.
63'
Another Forest corner applies more pressure to their hosts' back line, but on this occasion Buendia picks up Gibbs-White's cross and clears it away from the edge of the area.
61'
Williams wins a corner by aiming a right-wing cross at Moreno. From the set-piece, Watkins meets Gibbs-White's cross near the penalty spot and Martinez then leaps highest to claim the ball above several waiting heads.
59'
A perfectly-timed tackle from Worrall averts disaster for the visitors, as Ramsey pounces on the ball and drives towards goal from the left flank. He was about to let fly with a shot there, but Forest's skipper intervened.
57'
Too eager to recover the ball from Buendia in the centre circle, Freuler wrestles his opponent to the turf and concedes a frustrating free-kick from Forest's point of view - they need to keep the ball moving and generate more momentum.
55'
Attempting to strike for goal as the ball drops from the sky and fortuitously into his path, even in-form Watkins can't pull off such a feat and swipes his shot wide of the right-hand post by some margin.
51'
A determined drive from out to in by Gibbs-White forces an opening in Villa's defence, but his shot from 20 yards is deflected well over the crossbar and Forest must make do with a corner. They have reacted well to going behind, but have only found the target with one shot so far today.
48'
B. Traoré has scored a goal for Aston Villa!
VILLA LEAD! Another opportunist strike from Traore puts the hosts ahead! Following his winner in midweek, Traore - only on as a substitute due to Bailey's injury - scores again. He drives to the right byline and pulls a low ball back, and after Navas palms it clear, Shelvey just prods it back into the winger's path. From there, it's curled into the open bottom-left corner! 1-0 to Aston Villa!
46'
Nottingham Forest kick off, and we are back under way at Villa Park!
45' +4
HALF-TIME: ASTON VILLA 0-0 NOTTINGHAM FOREST
45' +2
In the second minute of at least three added for stoppages - there have been a couple of hold-ups for injuries, remember - Villa still have the ball but look very little like creating a chance with it.
45'
Moreno's cutback from near the left corner flag is missed by Watkins in the centre of the area, but Traore latches onto it. However, his shot is wild and flies far over the crossbar without troubling Navas.
44'
As Forest break into the box, Johnson's unconvincing finish from the left side of the area is repelled by Martinez at his near post, before the flag is raised for offside.
42'
Clutching his calf after a challenge from Worrall, the latest player to pick up an injury is Villa playmaker Buendia. After a brief pause in the game, though, he is able to get up and continue for now.
40'
Using all his experience, Freuler earns a free-kick for Forest on the edge of his own area, as he draws a foul from the fast-closing Ramsey.
38'
Another niggly foul breaks up play, as having been clipped on the foot by Watkins, Shelvey drops to the deck in apparent agony. No booking follows for the Villa man, though.
36'
J. Shelvey gets yellow.
As Moreno attempts to sprint clear on the counter, Shelvey careers in with a reckless lunge and is consequently shown a yellow card.
35'
Álex Moreno gets yellow.
For pulling Williams back in the latest tussle between the pair, Moreno is the first man booked by the referee today.
34'
Two more long throw-ins from Niakhite cause a little consternation in Villa's back line, but they manage to clear their lines on both occasions. That's a valuable weapon for Forest, who need all the routes to goal they can find right now.
32'
R. Freuler enters the game and replaces C. Kouyaté.
Succumbing to the inevitable, Kouyate is unable to shake off his injury and becomes the second player forced off early today; Freuler will replace him in Forest's midfield.
30'
After Johnson sprints into the box from the right and cuts the ball back towards the penalty spot, Gibbs-White can't make contact and his fresh-air shot allows Villa to clear the danger.
28'
B. Traoré enters the game and replaces L. Bailey.
As Bailey has sustained a muscular injury, he can't continue; Tuesday's match-winner Traore comes on for Villa.
22'
Midway through the first half, it's been a rather tepid affair in the spring sunshine. For all Villa's dominance of the ball, Forest have stood firm - they've come to defend deep and hopefully snatch a winner on the break.
20'
A timely interception by Shelvey deep inside his own half prevents Buendia's reverse pass picking out Watkins' run, then Gibbs-White tempts McGinn into a challenge and earns a free-kick to relieve the pressure.
18'
Shelvey fells Buendia, gifting Aston Villa a free-kick inside the Forest half, but the home side fail to make anything of it - they've lacked a little sharpness in the final third so far.
15'
Near the byline, Moreno just reaches a low throughball before Williams and guides the ball out of play. The Villa defender is then awarded a free-kick for some slight contact by his over-eager opponent.
13'
A misunderstanding between Buendia and Moreno sees the former pass the ball straight out of play on the left, as Villa take control of possession and enjoy the territorial advantage.
9'
Niakhite hurls in a long throw, which causes a brief flurry of concern in the Villa area, but Kouyate is caught offside as he tries to beat Martinez to the ball.
7'
Making a crucial block in the six-yard box, Konsa gets himself between Johnson and the goal; diverting the ball behind for a Nottingham Forest corner.
6'
Niakhate is fortunate that a sluggish attempt at clearing the ball from the edge of his own box does not break to a Villa player, after he sees it charged down at close range.
4'
Toffolo's reckless tackle clips Ramsey inside the Forest half and Villa have a free-kick from 30 yards out on the right. McGinn flips it in towards the penalty spot, but the visitors ultimately manage to scramble the ball away to safety.
2'
An early raid forward sees in-form Watkins flash a low shot across goal from the right side of the box, but his effort zips well wide of the target.
1'
The hosts kick off, and we are under way in Birmingham!
Hello and welcome to live coverage of today's Premier League clash between Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest at Villa Park!
A brilliant run of form has helped Aston Villa climb to seventh in the Premier League table, and a 2-1 victory at Leicester City in midweek was their fifth win in six games. Since taking charge at the Birmingham club, Unai Emery has won 10 of his 16 league matches - only Arsenal and Manchester City have accrued more points than Villa during that time. Indeed, such has been the Villans' revival, they sit only two points shy of the top six with nine games remaining and European qualification is in their sights.
Nottingham Forest are without a win in eight ahead of today's game, sitting outside the relegation zone only by virtue of goal difference. Steve Cooper was given the public backing of club owner Evangelos Marinakis after Tuesday's 2-1 defeat at Leeds United, but the pressure is now on to produce better results. Forest have the worst away record in the Premier League this season, having claimed just a single win on the road and suffered 10 defeats. Furthermore, their recent record versus Villa is similarly dismal, though they held today's hosts to a 1-1 draw in October's reverse fixture.
ASTON VILLA (4-2-3-1): Emiliano Martinez; Ashley Young, Ezri Konsa, Tyrone Mings, Alex Moreno; Douglas Luiz, John McGinn; Leon Bailey, Emiliano Buendia, Jacob Ramsey; Ollie Watkins.
SUBS: Robin Olsen, Leander Dendoncker, Diego Carlos, Viljami Sinisalo, Calum Chambers, Jhon Duran, Lucas Digne, Sebastian Revan, Bertrand Traore.
SUBS: Wayne Hennessey, Orel Mangala, Taiwo Awoniyi, Sam Surridge, Emmanuel Dennis, Andre Ayew, Remo Freuler, Jesse Lingard, Scott McKenna.
NOTTINGHAM FOREST (3-4-2-1): Keylor Navas; Moussa Niakhate, Joe Worrall, Felipe; Neco Williams, Cheikhou Kouyate, Danilo, Harry Toffolo; Jonjo Shelvey, Brennan Johnson; Morgan Gibbs-White.
The players are out on the pitch at Villa Park, with kick-off now just moments away!
There have been only five shots between the two teams after the first 45 minutes, and for Forest's part that's perhaps not surprising: they have scored just five Premier League goals on their travels all season. How they need one to go in after the interval, with the top-flight relegation fight becoming ever more desperate.
While Forest must face both Liverpool and Manchester United over the next fortnight, as their desperate scrap for survival continues, Villa will aim for a fifth straight win when they host Newcastle next week.
That's all from Villa Park today, so thank you for joining us and goodbye!
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