Nottingham Forest 2-1 Aston Villa: Anthony Elanga seals dramatic late turnaround as hosts go FOURTH above Manchester City – after Nikola Milenkovic had cancelled out Jhon Duran’s opener

Champions League football is what Aston Villa’s billionaire owners crave every season but their efforts in this season’s competition may hand Nottingham Forest an opening to qualify for the next one.

Late goals from Nikola Milenkovic and Anthony Elanga mean Villa have won only one of their six matches that have followed Champions League fixtures this term. In a top-four race that promises to be agonisingly tight, that could be the difference between success and failure for Unai Emery’s side. Forest pulled out a three-point gap on Villa with this win.

Villa led through Jhon Duran’s second-half header but after a close VAR call had denied Chris Wood an equaliser, Milenkovic and Elanga intervened to seal three points for the home side.

Whereas Villa had not won away in the league for nearly two months, Forest did so only eight days ago – and at Old Trafford to boot.

So the stage was set for the home side to tear straight into Villa, who preferred Jhon Duran to Ollie Watkins up front and lost Tyrone Mings to injury in the warm-up. Instead, Forest started in the manner of a side who would gladly have shaken hands on a 0-0 draw before kick-off.

By the time Forest stepped on the gas a little, Villa had settled. The only clear chance they created was when Murillo leaped powerfully to meet Elliot Anderson’s corner but headed wide.

Nikola Milenkovic headed in from Morgan Gibbs-White’s cross to kickstart the comeback 

Jhon Duran had given Villa the lead, which they held until the 87th minute, with his 11th goal of the season

At the other end, Anderson was lucky not to concede a penalty when he grabbed Morgan Rogers’ arm to stop the Villa man surging on goal. Rogers was furious and his frustration grew when Ezri Konsa nodded John McGinn’s free-kick just past the post. Villa ended the half stronger and Milenkovic made an important clearance after Matz Sels could only push Matty Cash’s drive back into the danger zone.

Last time Villa visited the City Ground, Emi Martinez’s howler gifted Forest a goal – and how he made up for it on the hour mark. The Villa goalkeeper made a stunning instinctive stop to keep out fellow Argentine Nicolas Dominguez’s close-range header after Anderson’s corner had been flicked on. And luckily for the visitors, Diego Carlos was quickest to the loose ball, hacking it clear.

It proved a turning point. Another incursion from Rogers started the move, and when Lucas Digne turned the ball back to McGinn, the Scot’s perfect cross was headed past Sels by Duran for his 11th goal of the season.

Martinez was back in action soon afterwards with a sharp stop from Neco Williams which he could not have seen until the last second. Duran is just as dangerous in Villa’s box as he is in the opposition’s – sending his manager’s anxiety levels rocketing.

The Colombian’s clumsy challenge sent Callum Hudson-Odoi tumbling and if he played the ball rather than the man, it was due far more to luck than judgement.

Forest leapfrogged Manchester City as their fine form continued with a win at home 

Villa were left forlorn at full time after failing to hang on to a much-needed three points

Elanga came off the bench and managed to squeeze his effort past Emiliano Martinez

Forest had their initial equaliser fro Chris Wood scrubbed off by VAR but responded valiantly

And when Martinez was finally beaten fortune came to Villa’s rescue again. Having had a quiet game, Morgan Gibbs-White played the pass of the game to send in Anthony Elanga. Wood was there to slide in the substitute’s low cross from close range. Not even Martinez could keep that one out – until the line-drawers in Stockley Park gave his team a reprieve.

It did not last. Gibbs-White was now in full flow and when Williams picked him out, the England international delivered a perfect cross on to the head of Milenkovic, who outjumped Boubacar Kamara and powered in a header that was too hot for Martinez to handle.

Villa fell apart in stoppage time when Anderson robbed Cash and turned the ball across for Elanga to finish at the far post.