Reggae Boys Bailey, Hutchinson star
Jamaican winger Leon Bailey continued to light up the English Premier League, scoring his eighth goal of the campaign and 11th in all competitions as Aston Villa thrashed Nottingham Forest 4-2 on Saturday.
Playing at Villa Park, the 26-yearold set up the opening goal by Ollie Watkins before adding his in the 61st minute to cap off another top performance.
Villa lie fourth on 52 points, six points adrift of third-place Arsenal and five ahead of the chasing Tottenham in fifth.
“That (the top four) is the goal for us. We want to be in the Champions League next season,” Bailey said.
“The key is to be consistent and take it step by step.”
Manager Unai Emery added: “We have to have players scoring goals and adding assists.
“We are happy, but the process is still being strong in our mentality and idea that we are trying to build and create. Today, more or less, every player showed it.”
Bailey wasted little time finding the limelight, beating Danilo down the right and crossing for Watkins to tap home from close range and put Villa ahead in the fourth minute.
The hosts then blitzed Forest, Douglas Luiz netting twice in 10 minutes to put Villa 3-0 up. First, he finished a flowing passing move from the centre of the box before nodding in John McGinn’s cross from the right six minutes before the break.
Forest hit back when Moussa Niakhate scored in first-half stoppage, and Morgan Gibbs-White added a second in the third minute following the resumption before Bailey killed the game just past the hour mark.
Watkins had his shot blocked by advancing goalkeeper Matz Sels, but Bailey pounced for the easiest of tap-ins.
In the Championship, another Reggae Boy was on target as on-loan Chelsea forward Omari Hutchinson scored for the second consecutive game to notch his third goal in five outings, as Ipswich turned back Birmingham City 3-1 at Portman Road.
Conor Chaplin headlined a dominant display by the hosts with a 31st-minute strike before Jordan James levelled a first-half stoppage with a brilliant riposte.
However, 62nd-minute substitute Jeremy Sarmiento put Ipswich back in front in the 81st before Hutchinson, a 20th-minute replacement, completed a sharp, low finish one-on-one with the goalkeeper after being put through by Kieffer Moore’s headed flick-on.