Aston Villa got their 7th consecutive win across all competitions over Nottingham Forest at Villa Park pushing them into sixth place in the Premier League standings - further boosting their hopes of qualifying once again for European spots.
Villa started the game with intensity and were rewarded early on. Morgan Rogers opened the scoring in the 13th minute of the game, showing brilliant control and composure to slot the ball past the keeper, after a smart lofted pass by Youri Tielemans.
This was followed minutes later, as Ian Maatsen beats his man down the left hand side and delivers a perfect ball for Donyell Malen to finish with ease.
After halftime, Forest looked a new team with more urgency and purpose despite star man Anthony Elanga being substituted.
This led to a goal in the 57th minute when a low cross got past Axel Disasi and found Jota Silva in the box in space and unmarked. The shot deflected off substitute Ezri Konsa, pushing it away from Emiliano Martinez before reaching the goal.
Despite late pressure and close chances from Forest, Villa managed to hold on and seal the win.
This result pushes Villa up to 51 points and in 6th position, while forest stay third on 57, missing on a chance to close the gap on Arsenal who sit just in front.
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Unai Emery has his eye on PSG
Despite the importance of this Premier League fixture, Emery opted to put several of his key players on the bench, clearly managing minutes ahead of Villa's Champions League clash with French giants PSG.
This included the likes of Marcus Rashford, Ezri Konsa, Boubacar Kamara, Lucas Digne and Matty Cash. It was a bold move to do this by the Spanish manager, considering we are nearing to the end of the season. However this underlines a growing trust in his squad depth.
His decision to rotate while still picking up three points, speaks volumes about the sort of team he is creating and the balance and planning within the camp.
Emery has made his message clear that Villa are taking the Champions League seriously.
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Youri Tielemans made everything tick
Youri Tielemans displayed yet another good performance full of intelligence and class. His assist for the opening goal was perfectly weighted for teammate Morgan Rogers, a moment of quality from the Belgian.
Beyond that, Tielemans linked play up between defence and attack well and with ease and was able to dictate the tempo, being the calm presence that Villa needed.
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Morgan Rogers is on fire
Morgan Rogers continues to impress with another stand out performance and another goal to add to his tally.
His goal showed the Villans what he is about and showcased what they expect from him - sharp movement, tidy first touch and ice-cold composure in front of the goal.
Excluding the finish, he still had a great game. His great work rate, his driving at defenders, creating space, being a constant threat and doing all this with real purpose throughout.
Rogers is certainly proving himself to be one of the first names on Emery's team sheet.
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Defensive lapses may still be a concern
Despite the win, Villa did have a few patches of the game where they seemed shaky, especially in and around the time of Forest's goal. This was a surprise as this was when Esri Konsa came on - a player who is at the heart of the Villa's defence and probably one of the first names in the strongest possible Villa lineup.
Jota was left unmarked, and the deflection off Konsa made it worse. The build-up of the goal could have been avoided. There were also periods when Forest found lots of space, taking long shots and creating chances from this, especially down the right-hand side.
Emery will need to tighten things up before facing PSG, as giving them as many opportunities as Forest had this evening could result in a very different outcome.
