Nottingham Forest 2-1 Aston Villa: Anthony Elanga seals dramatic late turnaround as hosts go FOURTH above Manchester City – after Nikola Milenkovic had cancelled out Jhon Duran’s opener

Champions League football is what Aston Villa’s billionaire owners crave every season, but their efforts in this season’s competition could give Nottingham Forest an opening to qualify for the next one.

Thanks to late goals from Nikola Milenkovic and Anthony Elanga, Villa have won just one of the six games following the Champions League fixtures this season. In a top four race that promises to be painfully tight, that could be the difference between success and failure for Unai Emery’s side. Forest took a three-point lead over Villa with this victory.

Villa led through Jhon Duran’s second-half header, but after a narrow VAR call denied Chris Wood an equalizer, Milenkovic and Elanga intervened to seal three points for the home side.

While Villa had not won in the league for almost two months, Forest only did so eight days ago – and at Old Trafford at that.

So the stage was set for the home side to charge straight into Villa, who favored Jhon Duran over Ollie Watkins up front and lost Tyrone Mings to injury in the warm-up. Instead, Forest started in the manner of a side that would have happily shaken hands at a 0-0 draw before kick-off.

By the time Forest eased off the pace, Villa had settled down. The only clear chance they created was when Murillo made a powerful leap to meet Elliot Anderson’s corner but headed wide.

At the other end, Anderson was lucky not to be awarded a penalty as he grabbed the arm of Morgan Rogers to stop the Villa man charging towards goal. Rogers was furious and his frustration grew when Ezri Konsa nodded John McGinn’s free-kick just past the post. Villa finished the half stronger and Milenkovic made an important ball after Matz Sels could only push Matty Cash’s drive back into the danger zone.

The last time Villa visited the City Ground, Emi Martinez’s howler gifted Forest a goal, and how he made up for it within the hour. The Villa goalkeeper made a stunning instinctive stop to prevent compatriot Nicolas Dominguez’s header from close range after Anderson’s corner was tapped in. And fortunately for the visitors, Diego Carlos was quickest to reach the loose ball and cut it away.

It turned out to be a turning point. Another cross from Rogers got the move going, and when Lucas Digne turned the ball back to McGinn, the Scot’s perfect cross was headed past Sels by Duran for his eleventh goal of the season.

Martinez was back in action shortly afterwards with a sharp stop from Neco Williams that he had only been able to see at the last second. Duran is just as dangerous in Villa’s penalty area as he is in the opposition’s, causing his manager’s fears to skyrocket.

The Colombian’s clumsy challenge sent Callum Hudson-Odoi tumbling and if he played the ball rather than the man it was much more down to luck than judgement.

And when Martinez was finally defeated, fortune once again came to Villa’s rescue. After a quiet match, Morgan Gibbs-White played the pass of the match to send in Anthony Elanga. Wood was there to slide in the substitute’s low cross from close range. Even Martinez couldn’t stop it – until the line-pullers at Stockley Park gave his team a reprieve.

It didn’t take long. Gibbs-White was now in full flow and when Williams picked him out, the England international delivered a perfect cross to the head of Milenkovic, who outwitted Boubacar Kamara and whipped in a header that was too hot for Martinez.

Villa fell apart in injury time when Anderson robbed Cash and turned the ball over for Elanga to finish at the far post.