On a typically nervy afternoon on the Trent, one of the biggest cheers of the afternoon arrived in the seconds after the final whistle, news over the speakers that Tottenham were still trailing at Sunderland. For Nottingham Forest, a creditable draw against Aston Villa takes them another precious point towards Premier League safety, Neco Williams’s low strike cancelling out Murillo’s own goal; confirmation that Forest are now three clear of the relegation zone was greeted as warmly as one would expect.
These teams could meet again at the end of the month in a Europa League semi-final but, for now, there are more pressing priorities. For the fourth successive season, Villa again left the City Ground without the full bounty and they wasted a series of chances to earn victory, Morgan Rogers skying a shot from close range and Ollie Watkins also sent a shot sailing over the bar.
Forest, as they have most of the season, struggled to work the opposition goalkeeper and Vítor Pereira turned to Chris Wood with almost half an hour to run, the 34-year-old making his first Premier League appearance since October. It was all the more galling given Villa were without Emiliano Martínez, who was replaced by Marco Bizot after pulling out in the warm up for the third time this season and Ezri Konsa, such a reliable performer for club and country, was dropped to the bench.
