Nottingham Forest 2-0 Villa: Aina and Mangala score superb long-range strikes

Top goalkeeper in the world on Monday, match-deciding howler on Sunday. Elite sport has a habit of bringing the best back to Earth and after Aston Villa’s shock defeat at Nottingham Forest, Emi Martinez knows that feeling only too well.

The Argentina star collected the Yashin Trophy at the Ballon d’Or ceremony last week after his brilliant displays helped his country win last year’s World Cup. Those weeks in Qatar will be among Martinez’s happiest memories yet he will want to forget his afternoon at the City Ground as quickly as possible.

With Villa trailing 1-0, Martinez’s flew to his left to reach Orel Mangala’s 25-yard effort early in the second half but failed to make a strong enough connection, causing the ball to spin back off the bar and into the net. With Forest already leading through Ola Aina’s fifth-minute strike, Martinez’s error left Villa with too much to do. It was only their third defeat in the league this season as Forest won for the first since their victory at Chelsea on September 2.

Forest’s long run without a win had caused some unease among the hierarchy but this should bring back the smiles. As boss Steve Cooper leapt about in his technical area to gee up the crowd during stoppage time, he reflected the spirit of his team

Following last weekend’s 3-0 defeat at Liverpool, Cooper made a change in goal, giving a first league start to summer signing Odysseas Vlachodimos and leaving former Arsenal goalkeeper Matt Turner on the bench.

Cooper arranged his team in a 4-1-4-1 formation and allowed Villa most of the ball, using their own pace on the flanks to cause problems on the break. And the plan worked a treat when Forest took the lead inside five minutes.

Anthony Elanga escaped on the left and found Harry