Stuart Pearce says Aston Villa star was unstoppable against Nottingham Forest
Aston Villa delivered an emphatic response to their defeat against Arsenal by dismantling relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest 3-1 at Villa Park, temporarily climbing to second in the Premier League.
Captain John McGinn’s first ever brace in England’s top flight combined with Ollie Watkins’ spectacular strike ensured Unai Emery’s side extended their remarkable home form to 11 consecutive victories across all competitions.
Villa dominated possession throughout the opening period, controlling 79 percent of the ball yet struggling to translate their superiority into meaningful opportunities.
The breakthrough arrived deep into first-half stoppage time when Watkins collected possession 25 yards from goal, executed a sharp turn and unleashed a thunderous right-footed drive into the top corner past John Victor.
The England international ended his Villa Park goal drought dating back to September’s victory over Fulham, with his previous five league strikes all arriving on the road.
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McGinn doubled the advantage just three minutes after the restart when Matty Cash delivered a low cross into the penalty area that the Scottish midfielder side-footed past Victor for his first goal in three months.
Morgan Gibbs-White briefly threatened a comeback in the 61st minute, advancing into the danger zone before delicately chipping the ball over Emiliano Martinez to reduce the deficit.
Any hopes of a Forest recovery were extinguished 12 minutes later through a catastrophic goalkeeping error.
Youri Tielemans lofted a long ball forward that prompted Victor to charge recklessly from his area, leaving McGinn to simply round the stranded Brazilian before rolling the ball into an unguarded net from thirty yards.
Victor immediately clutched his calf following the incident and departed the pitch visibly distressed, replaced by Matz Sels.
The victory establishes a 12-point cushion over fifth-placed Chelsea, while Forest’s fourth consecutive defeat leaves them precariously positioned just above the relegation zone ahead of Tuesday’s crucial showdown with fellow strugglers West Ham.
The result maintains Villa’s title charge, sitting three points behind leaders Arsenal ahead of Wednesday’s trip to Crystal Palace.
McGinn epitomises Villa’s transformation under Emery and put in another sublime showing today, with Stuart Pearce hailing the midfielder on talkSPORT commentary duty.
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Speaking on talkSPORT this afternoon, Pearce named McGinn as his Player of the Match against Forest.
Pearce said that you simply have to ‘fall in love with him’, also noting that McGinn is a player he would’ve loved to have worked with as a manager after what was yet another brilliant display.
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The 31-year-old is a quite simply indispensable member of Emery’s eleven, playing every single league game and starting all but one of those matches.
The £120,000-per-week club captain is set to play a decisive role in Villa’s quest to win a first ever Premier League title, with Emery praising McGinn as a role model for the team ever since he took charge.
Villa next take on Crystal Palace this Wednesday before travelling to Tottenham in the FA Cup, and Emery will need McGinn in full flow just as he was today.
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