Unai Emery praised his Aston Villa team after their 3-1 victory over Nottingham Forest.
Villa returned to winning ways after a tough defeat against Arsenal earlier in the week. Before that loss, they had won 11 consecutive matches, setting a club record, but bounced back strongly at Villa Park.
After a challenging first half, Ollie Watkins scored just before the break. The England international netted his fourth goal in three Premier League matches, showing his striking form.
John McGinn added two goals, while Morgan Gibbs-White scored a consolation for Forest. This win placed Villa in second position in the league, just three points behind leaders Arsenal and 12 points ahead of fifth-place Chelsea in the race for Champions League spots.
“It’s great to get three points. We needed to rest and prepare for this match. The players responded well to our expectations,” Emery stated in an interview with BBC Match of the Day.
Starting the new year as we mean to go on ✊
Three points. Three goals. pic.twitter.com/oKGFVYkLeB
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) January 3, 2026
“We needed to score when we had the chances. The important thing was we didn’t allow clear transitions for the opponent. We controlled the game with our possession and positioning, and maintained a strong mentality throughout.”
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