BAILEY Leon runs riot as IS UP IT
LEON BAILEY ran Forest ragged as Unai Emery’s Champions League push hit top gear.
The Jamaica international bagged one and was involved in everything good as the Spaniard’s side returned to winning ways at Villa Park.
After back-to-back defeats against Newcastle and Manchester United, Aston Villa’s club record run had come to a juddering halt.
But with Bailey causing chaos from the first whistle, Emery was able to breath a sigh of relief as Villa cemented their spot in the top four.
In fact, thanks to the slip-up from Erik ten Hag’s men, they increased their stranglehold among the leading pack.
And it was thoroughly deserved too as Villa made the most of Forest’s generosity at the back with Nuno Espirito Santo’s men incapable of mounting any stiff rearguard action.
The visitors were on the back foot from the fourth minute when Ollie Watkins tapped home to give Villa the lead.
Nuno chose to play centre-half Moussa Niakhate at left-back but the defender looked out of his depth. He was at sixes and sevens when John McGinn’s pass inside him found Bailey.
Centre-back Murillo then overcommitted after coming across to cover and was well beaten, leaving England international Watkins to run the ball into an unguarded net.
Watkins was denied another when Niakhate hacked off his own goalline before Villa bagged their second.
Douglas Luiz then scored twice in 10 minutes, first firing home a Jacob Ramsey pass after 29 minutes, before heading in McGinn’s wonderful rightwing cross.
The situation looked bleak for Forest – despite the impromptu huddle that was called by skipper Morgan Gibbs-White to sort out where his team were going wrong.
By that stage, it was a question of how many Villa would score.
But Forest saw a glimmer of hope in first-half injury time with almost their first real effort on target.
Gibbs-White swung over a corner that was headed back across goal at the far post by Taiwo Awoniyi and Niakhate chested it into the net.
Nuno changed his centre-halves at the interval – both had been cautioned – and matters improved when Divock Origi fed Gibbs-White to score.
But within the hour, Villa had re-established their two-goal lead. Youri Tielemans thumped an effort into the foot of the post before Forest caused their own downfall by overplaying outside their area.
Tielemans capitalised, feeding Watkins who bore down on Matz Sels’ goal. The Belgian international
initially did well to stop the forward.
Unfortunately for him, the ball squirted out of his grasp and Bailey scored with a side-foot finish that his efforts deserved.
There was still time for Sels to produce another decent stop from sub Morgan Rogers as Villa finished with a flourish and sent a message that their Champions League dream remains very much alive.