Nottingham Forest pulled off a dramatic late comeback to secure a 2-1 victory over Aston Villa at the City Ground, moving into the top four thanks to Anthony Elanga’s stoppage-time winner.
The match appeared to be slipping away from Forest after Jhon Duran gave Villa the lead with a header in the 63rd minute, just three minutes after Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez produced what many, including Jamie Redknapp, hailed as “one of the greatest Premier League saves ever seen.” Forest thought they had equalized in the 81st minute when Chris Wood bundled the ball in, but after a lengthy VAR review, it was determined that Elanga had been marginally offside in the build-up, disallowing the goal.
However, Forest refused to be denied. Six minutes later, Nikola Milenkovic headed in a well-taken equalizer to level the score at 1-1. Then, in the 93rd minute, Elanga completed the turnaround, sweeping home a cross from Elliot Anderson to send the home crowd into raptures.
Controversy surrounded Elanga’s winner, with Villa players arguing that Matty Cash had been fouled by Anderson in the build-up to the goal. Despite these protests, the goal stood, leaving Villa with no time to respond.
The match was also marked by a potential penalty shout for Villa in the first half. Unai Emery’s side felt they should have been awarded a penalty after Anderson appeared to pull Morgan Rogers to the ground, but VAR ruled it to be a “fleeting grab with minimal impact on the attacking player.”
Villa’s late collapse meant they missed the opportunity to move into the top four, remaining in sixth place. For Forest, it was a thrilling comeback that followed their impressive 1-0 win at Manchester United the previous week, marking back-to-back victories as they climb the table.
