Alysson broke a 372-minute Premier League scoring drought at Villa Park, but Liam Delap and Igor Jesus turned the game around for Nottingham Forest after the interval. Aston Villa sit on one point from four Premier League matches, four days on from putting three past Club Brugge in Belgium.
Unai Emery said Villa lost the balance of the game after Ian Maatsen limped off following a challenge from James McAtee that he felt should have been a red card.
“For me it was really clear, it was a red card. I watched it after the match. I watched it on TV and it was clear.”
On the football itself the Spaniard asked for the longer view of a rebuild that Villa backed heavily in the summer.
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“We need passion and to try and keep in balance our expectations. Maybe we need time.”
A rebuild that broke the club record twice
Villa broke their transfer record twice inside a month. Sky Sports confirmed on August 29 that Nicolas Jackson had joined from Chelsea for an initial £47.5m rising to £65m in add-ons, days after PSG teenager Ibrahim Mbaye agreed to sign for around £47m and midfielder Johan Manzambi arrived for £59.5m.
Ollie Watkins left for Al Hilal in a separate £50m deal, opening the No 9 position that Jackson has inherited after last season’s loan at Bayern Munich.
Jackson opened his Villa account within a week of arriving. At Jan Breydelstadion he made it 3-1 before half-time after goals from John McGinn and Emiliano Buendía. Hugo Vetlesen and Nicolò Tresoldi replied for Brugge, but Villa held on for a first win of the season.
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‘One step forward’ in Belgium
Emery framed that night in Bruges as the psychological reset he wanted for a squad that has changed shape twice over.
“We took one step forward today and it was very, very important for our confidence and stability.”
He was also clear on how far away he still thinks his team is from settled, telling reporters after the Brugge win that the process is not close to finished.
“We must try to add more players, new players in this structure, this demand and this process we are.”
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Three days on at Villa Park, that reset did not survive the second half. Villa dominated for 45 minutes and led at the break, before conceding twice after the interval as Emery brought Manzambi and Mbaye off the bench for their first minutes in the shirt.
Glasner’s hold over Emery continues
Oliver Glasner, who took the Nottingham Forest job in July after leaving Crystal Palace, extended his managerial head-to-head record over Emery to six wins from eight meetings across all competitions, with two draws.
Emery was nominated for the 2026 Ballon d’Or Men’s Coach of the Year on the back of last season’s Europa League triumph. Villa play a Carabao Cup tie this week before hosting Tottenham in the Premier League.
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