Cowley’s on top in festive dust-up
DEAN SMITH challenged Villa’s players to prove their Premier League quality after Danny Ings dumped them in the bottom three.
It was Groundhog Day as far as the frustrated home chief was concerned as a double from Saints’ red-hot forward allowed Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side to leapfrog his falling stars.
Smith warned his men beforehand that a repeat of the defensive collapse which saw Leicester run riot at Villa Park two weeks ago would be costly.
But he then saw his team produce a catalogue of errors that allowed Ings to make it seven goals from his last seven outings.
Villa got what they deserved. Another superb late volley from Jack Grealish wasn’t enough to even make a game of it and to make matters worse John McGinn was taken to hospital for an X-ray on his ankle.
The hosts were three goals adrift within five minutes of the second half starting. Never mind beating Liverpool’s kids in the Carabao Cup, this was a big boys’ game and Villa remained stuck in the playground.
Smith said: “The players know where we’re at. They should get the message. They read social media and the press.
“They have got to prove to everyone they are Premier League players.
“They are Premier League players whether they like it or not and I’m a Premier League manager and we have to make sure we are more responsible in our performances.”
Smith was scathing in his assessment of Villa’s defensive frailties. With just one win in nine he had every right to be.
He added: “We lost John McGinn early – it doesn’t look good – then we lose a soft goal with a ball over the top.
“Then we conceded an even softer goal from a corner. Anwar El Ghazi is marking their centre-half and he shouldn’t have been. That was John’s job.
“To give any side a two-goal lead is tough. In this league it’s even tougher.
“And, for the third, it’s ricocheted off Marvelous Nakamba.
“We played Leicester and the one thing you do as defenders is not get in a race with Jamie Vardy. We did it twice.
“You play Southampton and you don’t do the same with Shane Long. We did it and then let someone have a free header at a corner. They are soft goals.
“The players have to start taking responsibility. As do I.
“We have conceded seven goals in two home games.
“It was poor against Leicester but this was individual mistakes.”
Long somehow ended the game with no goals to show for it but could have wrapped up a hat-trick in the opening half-hour if he had taken his chances.
Still, he raced clear of Bjorn Engels after 21 minutes and Villa keeper Tom Heaton could only parry his shot into Ings’ path.
The Saints went further in front when Jack Stephens’ glanced home James
Ward-Prowse’s corner. And when Ings was gifted the chance to swivel and fire home a third, the opportunity was gleefully accepted.
Hasenhuttl was delighted with his main attacking threat.
He said: “He’s absolutely outrageous at the moment and a clinical finisher. He’s full of confidence.
“We like him in this form – I like to see how he is working. He’s always there where the balls come.
“The second goal was fantastic with his left foot. He hit the post twice in the last game. He’s a fantastic character.
“But all week I felt the guys were concentrated. We spoke that we can always score. But we normally give something away.
“But we have problems in that if we score first we then give something away – especially away from home.
“This was the difference. It was a deserved win for us. You could feel at 3-1 we were nervous. But this is normal.
“Everyone knows the situation of the table so it was important. We are now looking forwards to Christmas and this gives us a little lift.”
SO MUCH for the season of goodwill. Rival managers Danny Cowley and Sabri Lamouchi exchanged verbals at half-time in the tunnel.
And at the final whistle Cowley was again involved as Forest staff held back midfielder Ben Watson, who had earlier been booked for a late tackle on Jonathan Hogg.
One mighty tussle between Hogg and Tiago Silva finished with the Huddersfield midfielder tumbling over an advertising hoarding into a group of stewards.
The hoarding landed on a ball boy who seemed to be hurt too.
Cowley said: “Forest had lost 4-0 at home in their previous game and because of that they came here to kick us.
“I don’t like it but it was all heat-of-the-moment stuff. I wasn’t involved at the end and don’t know how it started. I was just breaking it up. I was in a good mood at the end anyway.”
On the pitch, skipper Christopher Schindler made the breakthrough, finishing off after Trevoh Chalobah’s shot was blocked in the first half.
A thumping header by Steve Mounie from Karlan Grant’s corner then delivered the knockout blow.
Joe Worrall’s late header ensured a dramatic finale.
Forest manager Lamouchi tried to play down the half-time shenanigans. He said: “There was a lot of tension. I was surprised but it was nothing special, just an argument at half-time and I have nothing else to say.”