Aston Villa 1-2 Nottingham Forest: Igor Jesus Seals Late Victory

Nottingham Forest secured their first Premier League victory of the 2026-27 season after substitute Igor Jesus scored an 88th-minute winner to defeat Aston Villa 2-1 at Villa Park.

Liam Delap had put Forest ahead shortly after half-time with a spectacular long-range effort, but Villa eventually levelled through Alysson. Forest, however, had the final say as Igor Jesus calmly finished late in the match to complete a deserved away victory.

Delap Gives Forest the Lead

The first half ended goalless despite both sides creating promising opportunities.

Forest goalkeeper Matz Sels was particularly important early on, producing a brilliant double save to keep Villa from opening the scoring.

Victor Lindelof inadvertently redirected an Emiliano Buendia cross toward his own goal, forcing Sels into action. Moments later, Murillo's poor clearance presented Villa with another opportunity, but Sels reacted quickly again.

Forest gradually grew into the contest. Morgan Gibbs-White came close after combining with Daniel Munoz and James McAtee, while Neco Williams later fired over following another McAtee-created chance.

Forest's pressure continued after the interval, and they needed only 45 seconds of the second half to take the lead.

Delap received the ball around 20 yards from goal before unleashing a powerful strike into the bottom-left corner, giving Forest a 1-0 advantage.

Alysson Brings Aston Villa Level

Forest remained the more threatening side after taking the lead.

Dan Ndoye headed over, while Munoz delivered a dangerous ball toward Delap, who narrowly missed the target with his header.

Delap appeared to have doubled Forest's advantage in the 65th minute when he produced another composed finish, but the goal was ruled out for offside following a VAR review.

Villa eventually found their breakthrough with around 15 minutes remaining.

John McGinn delivered an inviting cross into the area, and Alysson met it with a glancing header that finally ended Villa's long wait for a Premier League goal this season.

The hosts were level, but Forest immediately looked for another opening. Zion Suzuki was forced into action to deny Munoz from close range.

Igor Jesus Delivers Late Winner

With the match heading toward a draw, Forest found the decisive moment in the 88th minute.

Substitute Igor Jesus kept his composure inside the box and produced a neat first-time finish beyond Suzuki to restore Forest's lead.

Villa could not find another response, allowing Forest to celebrate a valuable 2-1 away victory and their first Premier League win of the campaign.

Forest End Villa Park Drought

The victory was particularly significant because Forest had struggled on previous visits to Villa Park.

Before Saturday's match, Forest had failed to win in their previous six Premier League visits to Aston Villa. They also had nine defeats from 18 league meetings with Villa.

This time, however, Forest deserved the points based on their attacking output. They registered 22 shots and 1.92 expected goals (xG) compared with Villa's seven attempts and 0.82 xG.

Gibbs-White Continues Impressive Away Record

Forest's strong away form also continued with the victory.

They have now lost only one of their last seven Premier League away matches, recording four wins and two draws during that run. Forest have also scored in each of their last 12 away league matches, matching their longest scoring streak in the competition, previously achieved between February and October 1995.

Captain Morgan Gibbs-White has played a major role in that consistency. He has now either scored or assisted in each of Forest's last eight away league matches, registering six goals and four assists.

Only three players in Premier League history have produced longer scoring-or-assisting streaks away from home: Erling Haaland, Robin van Persie and Andrew Cole, who each managed nine consecutive matches.

Villa Still Searching for First League Win

Aston Villa can at least take some encouragement from finally ending their scoring drought.

Alysson's goal brought an end to Villa's 372-minute wait for a Premier League goal this season.

However, the defeat means Villa remain without a victory from their opening four league matches.

It is only the fourth time in Premier League history that Aston Villa have started a campaign without winning any of their first four games, following the same pattern in 1992-93, 1997-98 and 2025-26.

Nottingham Forest secured a memorable 2-1 victory over Aston Villa at Villa Park, with Igor Jesus scoring the decisive goal just two minutes before the end of normal time.

Liam Delap's stunning second-half strike initially put Forest ahead before Alysson restored parity for Villa. But Forest's stronger overall performance was rewarded when Igor Jesus produced the late winner.

The result gives Forest their first Premier League win of the season and ends their recent struggles at Villa Park, while Aston Villa must continue searching for their first victory of the campaign.